The inFamy of Kyon
by LightningHunter
Summary: An explosion. A plague. Gangs taking over the entire town. Only one man can save the day. If only he didn't also have to deal with superpowers, factions trying to use him, being blamed for the entire thing and having to put up with Haruhi Suzumiya.
1. I, Bomber

Firstly, yes, this is a TMOHS/inFamous fusion. For all of the people who have little experience with inFamous, keep it that way. Anything you need to know is explained. Most of the first chapter and maybe some of the following will stick a little close to the inFamous storyline, but that will change, and hopefully develop into a fresh fic.

Why I made an inFamous fusion, well, just a random idea. I was actually working on a future fic with Kyon in the Yakuza, not as a boss or anything, just a small time enforcer. Well, this should still be a good read.

* * *

Chapter I- I, Bomber

I stopped my bike as I came into the square. The directions to where I was supposed to deliver the package were a little vague, and I looked around the buildings that towered around me as though it'd give me some sort of clue.

I cycled into the square's centre, and as I did so, someone rang me. Probably Haruhi, demanding I take a break from my "boring" weekend job of being a bike courier and join them and investigate some perfectly mundane thing, like going through those sewers last weekend.

That may have just been the worst expedition yet, but since Koizumi had had his Organisation prepare me with a quick crash course in urban exploring, I managed to save myself from falling fifty feet and getting swept away by a fast current. Haruhi hadn't seemed entirely bothered by it, almost disappointed, as though falling down there would've worked as bait for mutant turtles or something.

The phone call wasn't from anyone I recognised.

"Hello?" I asked, almost cautiously.

"This is your client," said an old yet strong voice. "Open the package."

I don't know why, but something in that voice made me obey. I switched off my phone and placed it in my shirt pocket before I got off my bike and took up the package. It was something in a box, and when I opened it, I found a strange object, a metal sphere the size of a basketball. I raised it, and in my hands, it began to open.

The last thing I knew was a bright blue light in my eyes and then an explosion ringing my ears.

* * *

"Activation plus six minutes, pulse is forty-five, respiration ten… looking good, Kyon."

Those words came to me as though in a dream. I stirred from the blackness, and awoke to hear sirens and screams, and to feel that ever familiar pain.

Except I was hurt more than I'd ever been before.

"What the hell happened?"

I managed to climb to my feet, despite one of my legs bloodied and battered. And it wasn't just my leg- I'd broken my left arm before, but this time it was horribly out of place, and I couldn't help but wonder if I'd ever use it again. But the greatest pain was from the burns across my skin, electrical I'd guess, but obviously, my mind wasn't in the best way to diagnose myself.

Although the ground beneath me hadn't been touched, the rest of the square had been turned into a crater. Fires were still burning, and I coughed from the thick smoke filling the air.

"There's someone alive down there!" An amplified voice rang out as I looked up to see a helicopter, covering my eyes from the searchlight. "Hey, can you hear me? If you can walk, head for the bridge!"

Are they kidding me? You've got a helicopter! Drop a rope ladder or something- actually, judging by the fact I'm limping and got an arm broken, that probably doesn't sound like a good idea.

The helicopter flew off, but turned the searchlight onto a nearby parking lot. "Hey, you there! Get out of there, the whole place is coming down!"

Come on Kyon, move, move- I limped down from the only bit of ground that was still raised. Fires burned all around me, and there were electrical bursts from wires and cars happening so frequently I could've sworn it was as though they reacted to me. As I got to the end of the crater, I managed to climb through a bus thrown there by the explosion and get out, emerging by the parking lot.

My phone rang, and with trembling fingers, I managed to respond to the call, placing it on loudspeaker. I didn't even question how my phone was still working.

"Kyon? Where are you!" It was Koizumi, and he sounded- panicked?

"Koizumi, what's going on?" I managed to say. Talking was a lot harder with this burn right across my neck, making my voice sound oddly deeper. "I think there was an explosion- I'm by a crater."

"That was at the very centre of the blast!" Koizumi said, shocked. "How on earth did you survive?"

Why do you expect me to know? I'm barely holding together as it is! And what the hell was it anyway? Had Haruhi finally lost it?

"I don't even know if this has anything to do with her," said Koizumi. "The official story is that it's terrorists but- look, now is not the time. I'll try and meet you by the bridge; I'll get some of the Organisation's paramedics for you!"

The call ended, and I entered the parking lot. How I was supposed to get to the bridge from here, I had no idea.

The ground floor was cut off from me, and I was forced to climb to the first floor via some rubble and wrecked cars. As I stumbled along, I saw a mass of sparking wires visible as a great chunk was torn out of the wall. I watched, finding myself entranced by the crackling electricity, but as I passed it, the electricity leapt forth at me.

I screamed, as the electricity passed through my body, sure this was it for me.

But as quickly as it had come, it was gone. I should've been dead, but being electrocuted had done nothing to me, not even made my hair stand on end. If anything, I felt better for it, my head was clearer, and the pain in my body was subsiding.

I walked across, and found that the end of the first floor had collapsed, forming a makeshift ramp to the road before the bridge. Police cars were scattered across the ruined road, as well as plenty of people, some heading towards the bridge, some too injured to walk.

"If you're able to walk, please evacuate across the bridge…" It was the helicopter, flying over again. "Please remain calm, emergency personnel are en route."

I could see Koizumi waving at me from the other side of the bridge. Strangely enough, I thought I could make out Nagato with him as well, but my vision was too blurred to make out any details.

And then just as I passed several police cars- electricity shot forth from the cars and lampposts, electrocuting me again. Then somehow, it released itself in a torrent.

Lightning came down from the dark skies, destroying the police cars around me, but somehow, I was being spared- and then the lightning bolts started hitting the bridge.

"Kyon!" Koizumi shouted, and somehow his voice carried over the thunder and screams. "Run!"

Somehow there was feeling in my legs again as I managed to run across the bridge. It had been horribly damaged by the explosion. Parts of it had been torn away completely, too much of it had been slanted and great cracks in it made me wonder if it'd just all come down beneath me.

The lightning bolts weren't doing anything to help it, and as it flung the destroyed cars around and as I ran past the wreckage and bodies- I was stunned as nothing had killed me yet.

I finally made it to the other side of the bridge, and collapsed, just vaguely aware of Koizumi and- it was her- Nagato running to me.

* * *

What happened over the next two weeks is hard to put into words, but I'll try.

I spent several days sliding in and out of unconsciousness, and in my state, I could somehow hear the voices of the dying, those crushed by the falling debris, and those burned alive in fires. I was kept in a private ward in a hospital, no doubt paid for by Koizumi's esper friends.

My dad was severely injured as a result of the blast, and he had to be taken outside the city to a specialist hospital. My mother was forced to go there with him, mostly for the sake of signing off the papers, taking my little sister there, but she was unable to move me. Just in time too, because it got them to safety.

Only four days after the blast, a plague broke out. Followed by riots, theft, rapes, murders; you name it, civilisation committing suicide. The government locked down the town, in an attempt to contain this biological hazard, trapping us in this cage with the psychos crawling out of the woodwork.

The police were all but gone off the streets, either dead or too scared to fight against the gangs who run the show now.

As things on the outside went bad, inside, inside me- things were changing.

The blast had changed me. For the better? I can't say. But I'd received my own radioactive spider bite.

I could wield electricity.

It was scary as hell at first, with none of my friends offering much explanation. Asahina gave me the usual "classified information", Nagato not being able to find any information from the Data Integration Thought Entity, that or it was refusing to tell her, Koizumi talking about other factions of espers and stuff that went over my head, but I suspect it might've just been rubbish he was making up to try and placate me.

But in time, I'm learning to control this power. Master it.

I just hope it isn't too late.

* * *

Electricity crackled around the fingers of my right hand. I watched it grow in power, the crackling grow louder, and I could almost hear it speak to me, begging me to let it leap free.

"Now Kyon!"

I discharged it, firing bolts of lightning at the numerous dummies arranged on the rooftop. Each of them were lucky if they survived a few hits.

"That's so cool!" Haruhi said, gushing over my powers, and not for the first time. She grabbed my hand- I'd already stopped charging electricity in it- and caressed it.

Okay, it's nice to see this…fangirl side of you, Haruhi, but this is getting too weird for even me.

Since the school had closed, Haruhi had insisted the entire building was now property of the SOS Brigade. Very considerate of her when you think about the many people now homeless from the blast.

Instead of the clubroom, we spent most our time up on the roof. We'd moved some stuff up here- and by we, I mean me, my strength had been boosted by the electricity powers somehow and Haruhi had said it was thus unfair to make anyone else do it.

There had been a lot of dry weather lately- good for me too, considering that water was starting to have bad consequences for me and anyone around me- so there was no real problem with staying on the rooftop. Still, at night, I slept over at Nagato's place. I'd tried sleeping at Koizumi's house, but after meeting his parents (or some other espers who were playing the role of his parents, although I thought that unlikely), I decided to stay away after that one night.

Why? Well, I could see exactly where Koizumi got it all from. Both had their own versions of irritating smiles that never seem to go away. Both were just full of random information they saw fit to impart on me. And both enjoyed invading my personal space and I sometimes got the weird vibe that they were hitting on me.

I had to lock the door to the guest bedroom that night just to make sure I didn't get molested in my sleep.

I didn't like to go see my house too often, it tended to remind me just how much I missed my family. I nailed some boards over the windows to stop any rioters breaking them or throwing in Molotov cocktails as I'd seen some do, and I occasionally checked up on the place to see that it was still standing.

As for the school, I'd managed to convince Koizumi and Yuki to help me fortify the place a little. We'd got the gates up, kept the doors locked, barricaded a lot of the ones we weren't using- the dummies I was frying right now we used to give the illusion that a lot more people were camped out in here.

I lay back on one of the sofas I'd brought up, while Haruhi lounged in the head teacher's massive armchair. She grabbed the remote for the TV that'd I also brought up, and tried to switch it on. She growled as nothing happened.

"Another power cut? Kyon!"

At least I'm good for something.

I walked over to the TV, and pulled out the plug from the extension cord that led back to the mains in the building. I plugged it into one of the huge batteries we had sitting around, and since that was dead as well, charged that up as well.

The first thing that came up on the screen was that pirate broadcaster who'd kept hacking into the television signal whenever he had anything to say. Calling himself the "Voice of Survival", his crackpot conspiracy theories had completely suckered in Haruhi.

Haruhi watched his ranting intently, while I tried to close my eyes and get some rest.

"I'm starving," said Haruhi after the Voice of Survival had finished. "Kyon, go and look in the cafeteria for some more food."

"We already finished it," I said. "There wasn't that much there, remember?"

Haruhi smacked her fist into her palm. "I've got it! The perfect idea for getting us some more rations!"

Can't you just go home and see if your parents have got any food? In fact, aren't they worried as to why you're wondering around with the state of the town being as it is? Haruhi- oh, she's already running off.

* * *

"I already told you lady, we charge your battery, and you give us some food," Haruhi said to the woman.

We were outside a supermarket that had already been looted. There were quite a lot of people about, some scavenging, but like Haruhi, quite a few were trading goods with others. So capitalism hasn't died completely.

"How do you expect to do that?" said the woman.

"Kyon here can do it," said Haruhi.

The woman shook her head. "I don't have time for this nonsense, kids."

"Go on Kyon, show her what you can do!"

Look, this is a bad idea Haruhi. Let's just get out of here.

"Hey, we gotta eat, don't we? Do you want us to starve? Kyon, I can't believe you! You'd let me starve? You're unbelievable!"

Oh for- fine. I'll do it.

The battery was a big one. Maybe it was a car battery, but I don't really know, I'm not that much of an expert when it comes to looking under the bonnet of a car.

I stepped forwards, and the woman shook her head again. "Here I was thinking just your friend was the crazy one."

"Yeah," I said, raising my right hand. "Stand back."

I discharged electricity from my hand, and the woman screamed, jumping back as she covered her face. I hit the battery enough times till I could feel it was charged, and nodded to Haruhi once I was done.

"Haha, see that! Now we held up our end of the bargain, where's that food?"

"Get away from me!" The woman screamed. "Both of you!"

Haruhi didn't seem pleased by that. "What? We did what you asked us! You owe us, you ungrateful b-!"

"I told you, get away from me now!"

"You're skating on thin ice here lady! You're gonna give us the food or Kyon here is gonna fry you till-"

Okay, now that was definitely going too far. I grabbed Haruhi and pulled her away, and started dragging her back to the school. Hopefully one of the others had showed up and they'd have food.

"Kyon! As your Chief I demand you let me go! That witch got what she wanted and now she's trying to screw us over!"

"Just drop it, Haruhi," I said.

She stamped on my foot, causing me to let her go, but fortunately didn't go chasing after the woman. I think that might've been due to the thugs who'd rushed into the area, and were now going after the people.

"Let's get out of here."

She didn't argue with me on that.

* * *

Back on the roof, we were surprised to find that none of the others had still shown up yet. I have to admit, I was getting pretty worried at this point. I took out my phone and called Koizumi, as Haruhi was messing around downstairs inside the school. Occasionally I joined her, jousting on bikes with brooms down corridors was pretty fun.

"I'm terribly sorry, Kyon," said Koizumi, once I'd asked him where he was. "The three of us were having a short discussion and got somewhat carried away. Then I had to go report to my superiors who have been very paranoid since the blast."

Paranoid? I think it's more like you're the only one who's not taking this seriously enough.

"Perhaps," he said, and I could feel his smile over the phone. "I'll try and be over as soon as possible. I've heard that there'll be a food drop over in Shashu Square, so perhaps we'll see each other there. Oh, and hold on for a second, Nagato would like to speak to you."

He passed the phone over, and I soon heard Nagato's monotone voice through the speaker. "Kyon. Are you well?"

I'm doing fine.

"I have completed an evaluation on your abilities. Would you like me to inform you of your diagnosis?"

What's there to diagnose? I shoot electricity out of my hands. Still, go ahead. I've got time.

"The electricity running through your body stimulates your muscle tissue and immune system, considerably accelerating your body's natural ability to heal damage, as well as your resistance to diseases. Your already increased healing capabilities can be boosted while absorbing electricity. Your muscles can now absorb huge amounts of physical trauma; you are likely to be able to survive bullets or falling from extreme heights. Your strength, agility, durability and reflexes have all been enhanced. You can discharge electricity at will at a chosen target, absorb electricity from any sources, and sense ambient electricity, even from the recently dead."

Huh. Bit more than I thought.

"You have yet to reach your peak level," Nagato continued. "It has been difficult to calculate, but it appears you will only gain more powers as time goes on."

What? How does that work?

"I will repeat: it has been difficult to calculate," said Nagato. "What has given you your powers does not appear to be related to Haruhi. As such, your own data has been altered and appears to be considerably difficult to manipulate. I do not know why your powers are growing."

…am I not human anymore?

"You are still human," Nagato confirmed. "But yet you are something else. It may add evidence to a theory- that although Haruhi Suzumiya wished for aliens, espers, time travellers and possibly sliders, there have been other supernatural beings in existence that have existed long before her."

What am I then? A wizard or something?

"I do not know. I will inform you when I have the correct data. Goodbye, Kyon."

"Alright. Later, Nagato."

I switched off as Haruhi came up to the roof. "Kyon, I've been thinking. We haven't reinforced the roof enough. I'm thinking barbed wire, chain fences- whoa!"

A plane flew just above, and it had been flying so low I was worried it was going to hit us. I supposed that had to be the food drop plane Koizumi had mentioned.

Haruhi had switched on the TV again, and there was some kids' show on, but then we were suddenly interrupted by the Voice of Survival again.

"The government have finally sent us some food, two weeks after the blast! They promise us more supplies and that there'll be enough to go around, but they're not the ones living in this mess! Face it people, this is just a damn PR stunt, and we're alone!" The man shouted at us. "I suggest you get over to Shashu Square and grab what you can before one of the gangs show up. Voice of Survival out."

"Well, I told you a couple of days ago they'd drop food," I said.

"Didn't you hear him?" Haruhi said; pointing at the TV as the kids' show came back on. "It's just an attempt for the government to look good for the media."

Yeah, something tells me that won't stop you from helping yourself.

"Of course not, I'm starving. Let's go. Race you downstairs!"

I recalled something Nagato had said. I might've had more reluctance, but I knew Nagato wasn't the sort to joke about what she had said.

"Sorry Haruhi, but I'm taking a shortcut."

I broke into a run and jumped off the roof.

"Kyon!"

I fell through the air, watching the ground come closer- I didn't feel scared. I could feel it- and I knew in that moment, Nagato was right; I _was_ going to survive this.

I landed on my feet, knees bent in a crouch, my hands nearly on the ground. I looked up to where Haruhi was looking down on me, with not a scratch.

It was amazing, and briefly I wondered what else was in store for me. At first I could barely power a light bulb, now I was frying the junk up on the roof and jumping off buildings.

A few moments later she'd sprinted down so fast that she may as well have jumped down herself. "That was amazing, Kyon!" She almost shouted at me. "Jumping off roofs- aw, I wish I could do that, running down all those flights of stairs sucks."

I couldn't help myself, and broke into a grin. A part of me wished for the days of before, normal me, and I'd already asked Nagato if she could change the world back. She'd replied in the negative, on the grounds that she could not interfere in an incident not related to Haruhi and besides, the Data Integration Thought Entity was very interested in the new data it was receiving.

But a part of me did, deep down, enjoy this taste of power. I suppose I felt like I was in a dream, and that any minute I'd wake up, think "electricity powers? Cool" and go back to my normal life.

This is getting to be a long dream, though.

Haruhi and I headed over to the square. By the time we go there though, the problem wasn't that the food had been taken; it was that the stupid pilot had dropped it over that massive structure/ sculpture thing in the centre of the square that looked ridiculous to everyone but was apparently art. The crates hung there, and I couldn't help but think it was probably a bad idea to stand beneath them.

"Ah," said Haruhi. "Well Kyon, you know what to do."

What- why the hell do I have to do it?

Haruhi smiled. "As you just showed me, you have no problems surviving a fall like that. Now climb up there and get those crates down."

With that logic, I found myself climbing up the side of the structure.

I'm not sure what it was supposed to be, one big pointed…thing jutting out of the ground with some great metal rail twisting around it. Well, the rail made it easier to climb at least, and once I made it up that, I came to the top of the structure.

The crates were all tied together and stuck between the structure and the rail. All I had to do was force it down. Well, I could jump on it.

Then as I stretched out my hands, something happened.

"Get back!" I shouted at the people down on the ground, realising that now would not be a good time to wait under the crates.

A surge of something was building up in me, I could feel it. And I raised my hands, and fired it off, creating a great shockwave that destroyed the rail that twisted around the structure and knocked the crates free.

Huh, Nagato never mentioned that. I'll have to tell her that she was right in that whole "powers are growing" thing.

But it was then, as I looked down, my attention was grabbed by gunshots.

* * *

That would be the first time I encountered the Karite Family.

They were just a bunch of dumb Yakuza wannabes before the blast, dealing soft drugs and shaking down places that couldn't defend themselves for protection money, themselves way too scared to get anywhere near the police.

Now? They owned this part of the town, and everyone knew it, as they strutted around in their stiff suits and skull masks, wearing their family badges on their lapels like medals.

I could only see four of them, heading towards the crates. Three had pistols. One had an assault rifle.

"_You are likely to be able to survive bullets or falling from extreme heights." _Nagato's voice echoed in my head. She'd been right already about the heights bit.

Four of them. I can survive bullets. I can shoot lightning. I can launch shockwaves. I can take four of them, right?

One of them looked over to Haruhi for a second too long and took a step towards her. I reacted.

I jumped down. Once again, my body reacted as I felt a new power in my body. My hands reached out, gathering electrons in the air, and the Karite thugs looked up when they heard the crackling of electricity. A couple of them fired at me, but nothing hit me, nor did I even hear the bullets whistle past my head as I focused entirely on the growing power in my hands.

I hit the ground full force, and the electricity unleashed itself in a massive wave of energy that sent the thugs flying. The wave even reached the crates, smashing one open.

The thugs looked to be out cold, but then I saw more men in skull masks entering the square. Great.

"Go on Kyon!" Haruhi cheered me on. She's enjoying this way too much.

Electricity spreads from my shoulders, along my arms to my fingertips. I can feel it, that power, and I know there's no going back to my old life.

I've never thought of being jealous of my friends for their powers or abilities. Any vague fantasies that I had were usually dismissed as being too troublesome in the end. But with these, nothing feels wrong or out of place. They come to me so naturally now it's like I was meant to have them.

I know who I am.

I close the distance between me and the Karite thugs. None of these ones have guns.

I take them all out with a single shockwave that sends them back into the road. Save one, who managed to take advantage of the time I took, and he reached me with a baseball bat.

The bat practically bounces off my face. I don't bruise and I barely even stagger away. "Absorb huge amounts of physical trauma" then? If I can survive great falls and bullets, a baseball bat is like prodding me with a feather duster.

I hit him in the chin, and my fist still discharges electricity as it meets him. Increased strength plus electricity equals one hit K.O.

The reinforcements dealt with, I turned around. I felt so…so drained.

I could barely think straight with this sudden headache I had coming on, and almost subconsciously, I walked over to the lamppost, and reached out towards it. Electricity jumped free, charging me, invigorating me.

"Kyon! There's another one!"

I turned around, as the bullet hit me in the chest, punching right through me.

Even if I can survive it, that taught me something important. It hurts to be shot. I fell back onto the lamppost, but managed to regain enough control to launch a lightning bolt at the one Karite thug left.

He went down as soon as the bolt collided with his head.

I reached out with my hands again, recharging, and then, I could feel my body heal itself, it was working so fast. Flesh knit together, bones were remade, and new skin formed over the wound, till the only clue that there had ever been a wound was the two round holes in my jacket, one in the front, one in the back.

People had started gathering around the crates, and Haruhi walked over to me sullenly. "Have you seen the crap they expect us to eat? Cans of dried prunes?"

Prunes are dried already, Haruhi, they're-

My head went up as I saw the screen crackle to life up on one of the larger buildings nearby. Damn Voice of Survival again. Three times in a day? New record.

"People, I just managed to get some information you are not going to believe," said he, and the camera changed to a photo of-

"Look at that Kyon, you're up on the big screen! What's that you're holding?"

My breath caught. It was me in the square two weeks ago, that strange basketball shaped device in my hands, the glowing blue light at its centre caught as well.

"This was a photo taken by security cameras before the place got turned into a crater," said the Voice of Survival. "You see what he's holding? Don't be fooled because he's just a kid. That's the bomb that blew up the city, and you're looking at the terrorist who did it. If your family are starving, if you've lost loved ones, you know who's responsible. We need to get the word out on this guy, because we are going to make him pay."

Ever been called a terrorist?

There was a rumble of noise around me as people began to recognise me. Even Haruhi was giving me strange looks. And then a certain phrase appeared in my head.

Dead man walking.

* * *

AN: Some of you may think the two week period after the blast was skipped over quickly, yeah, that was because I'm still writing this chapter close to the game and that was what happened there as well. Obviously, I'm taking some liberties, the town they live in is bigger, it has a river or whatever to warrant bridges, you know.

As for the Karite Family, well, I didn't want to just reuse the Reapers from inFamous, so I'm changing stuff where I can. I am trying to take this away from being just one story being repeated with elements from another story, but there are bits I just have to keep.

Next chapter will have the bonus of showing what the time travellers, espers, and the DITE are thinking on this situation.


	2. Agent K, PSIA

Enjoy. This chapter is where things might start getting a bit weird for people unfamiliar with inFamous, but I'll do my best to make it clear, and if it's not explained by the AN at the end, stick your questions in a review or a PM.

* * *

Chapter II- Agent K, PSIA

I ran for it. I wasn't going to wait around for my lynching.

"Kyon!" Haruhi called after me.

Some people had started throwing rocks. Some gave chase to me themselves. But I'm too fast for any normal people to catch me now.

A rock grazed the side of my head. I looked back, and while I could see someone stoop for another, what I noticed was Haruhi running after me. She'd completely outrun my other pursuers and had just about caught up to me.

Well, I suppose it's not like she's a normal person.

"Kyon, you set off a bomb?" She shouted at me as she ran alongside me.

"I was just doing my job and delivering a package!" I shouted back at her. "How was I supposed to know what'd happen?"

Haruhi looked like she thought I was hiding something. "Fine, you're not smart enough to plot all this by yourself anyway. So, where exactly are we running?"

Anywhere. But if we're talking about a more long term goal, well, I don't like the idea of hanging around, because I'll end up quite literally hanging. I'm going to get out of this hellhole and find my family.

We came to a stop in an alley. It looks like we'd lost our pursuers- wait, my pursuers. Haruhi bent forwards, taking a moment to catch her breath before answering.

"Have you forgotten they're not letting anyone out because of the quarantine?"

And have you forgotten I've got lightning powers? I think I can handle a few guards.

"You're going to take on official soldiers? Kyon!"

And Haruhi's heart grew three sizes that day as she developed a conscience thinking about the men I was going to electrocute-

"That is so cool!"

Yeah, forget what I said.

"I'm coming with you!" said Haruhi, almost jumping into the air. "Just picture it! The two of us, fighting great conspiracies as we try to defend ourselves from the corrupt government and vengeful victims, and most of all, try to discover who it was who got you to set off that bomb! My brains and your superpowers!"

The two of us? Alone? I think I'd rather- wait, are you suggesting we elope together?

Haruhi choked. "N-No! What the hell gave you that idea?" She shouted at me, her face crimson. "You're such an idiot!"

My phone rang. Three guesses who it could be and the first two don't count.

"Kyon, I just heard about the broadcast," said Koizumi. "How come you didn't mention this?"

…he sounded oddly hurt by that.

"Look, I didn't know that it was a bomb!" I said down the line. Somehow I get the feeling that I'm going to say that a lot more. "Look, we can talk later- actually, wait, I'd better tell you this- I'm getting out of here."

"What? What about-"

"She's here with me," I interrupt, guessing who he meant. "And she's not exactly opposed to leaving either."

"Oi, Kyon, who is it?" Haruhi asked me, just as Koizumi began speaking again.

"I can't forbid you from leaving the town, especially when your life is in such danger. All I ask is that you try not to endanger Miss Suzumiya. If you succeed in escaping, I'll try and move after you and get her parents out as well."

"Alright. Thanks, Koizumi."

"Hey, Kyon, get over here!" Haruhi had wandered off, having lost interest in the call once I mentioned Koizumi by name. She'd found a beat-up abandoned-looking car on the pavement outside the alley. "Think you can use your powers to hotwire this?"

I paused. "Only if you promise you let me drive if I can get it started."

"…fine."

With a sneaking suspicion that she wouldn't live up to that promise, I zapped the door open, but the moment I stepped into the car, the electricity in my body discharged by itself and the car's electrics started going crazy.

I jumped out of the car, as smoke started rising from under the bonnet. Haruhi gulped and followed me down the alley again. Just in time, as the car exploded.

Okay, so I can't go in cars anymore. For the rest of my life. I look down at my feet, which are already tired from all that running earlier.

"That was awesome!" Haruhi shouted, the fangirl side coming out again. And possibly a pyromaniac side, judging by how gleefully she watches the flames.

I suddenly had a horrific vision of Haruhi altering reality so she could obtain flame based powers.

* * *

Barriers had been placed all around town, and the main road was blocked off by a great gate that had been erected hastily when the quarantine had been declared. The road went onto a bridge that went over a river, which had been blocked off at the end by chain fences. While there was a mob of people waiting outside the gate, either they hadn't noticed the broadcast or they were a little preoccupied with the guards waiting by the gates carrying riot shields or batons.

Haruhi managed to push our way through the crowd, till we were at the front. As we stared upon the guards, a voice rang out over a speaker. "You are not permitted to leave the town till the quarantine has ended. Lethal force will be used against anyone who tries to violate the quarantine."

Damnit. What do we do now?

"Isn't it obvious? You were the one who talked about taking them down," Haruhi said, before kicking me forwards so I was past the crowd and standing in front of the soldiers.

I couldn't see their faces through their helmets, but seeing as they don't move, I'll take that as a good sign. I cleared my throat. "Do you mind if I go through here?"

A couple of them approached me, batons and shields raised, and I raised my hands.

A shockwave sends the two flying back to the gate, and as the others rushed me, I propel even more of them back through the air. A few of the soldiers reached me, and although there's more force in their blows than the Karite thug's baseball bat, they can only just knock me back.

The crowd came forwards at that point, and swamped the riot cops. Haruhi found me and dragged me to the gate. "Go on, open it!" She said, because everyone knows the superpowers come second and gate opening is my main forte.

Still, I could tell from the cables that were on the other side that it was opened electronically. I extended my hands till they were just centimetres away from the gates, and just let the current flow.

The gates creaked- why do they always do that?- as they opened. I lowered my hands and looked ahead. The soldiers had dragged all kinds of crap onto the bridge, barricades, cargo crates, the sort you'd expect to be seen carried on ships, old cars and other junk. I guessed it was there to stop anyone breaking through with vehicles. At the end of the bridge, I could see a second gate.

The people started running for it, Haruhi and I in their midst. We got across the bridge with little stopping us, but just as we rounded one of those crates near the end, the people before me screamed and ran back, leaving me at the front. There in front of me were three soldiers, armed with machine guns.

The speaker rang out again. "You have entered a restricted zone. Turn back immediately or lethal force will be used. This is your last warning."

The guys with guns didn't seem to hear how I'm still on a warning, and they fired on me.

The bullets tear through my chest, and I can feel them punch through my lungs, shatter my ribs, graze my heart. I don't die, but instead I feel all of it in every detail. I fell back, but managed to get behind the crate, slumping against the cold steel.

This accelerated healing of mine barely kicks in, a little busy with just keeping me alive rather than getting me back up on my feet.

Haruhi ran over to me, grabbing me by my legs and started dragging me. "Come on! There's a car just here!"

…you want me to blow it up?

"Do I have to do everything for you? Absorb its electricity like you did with that lamppost!"

I reach out with my hands, and just like before, the accelerated healing amplifies. It takes longer than last time, and I had completely drained the car dry by the time I was healed. I closed my eyes, almost caught in a moment of bliss before my hands close into fists and I allow myself to be caught on a wave of power.

I ran at the crate and jumped at it. My foot hit it first, pushing me up and my hands reached the top. I pulled myself up, and continued moving.

They fired at me, but I'm already falling through the air.

The wave formed once I hit the ground wasn't as big as the last one. It still sends the crate tumbling back and knocks the other two men off the bridge. The last one didn't hold his rifle hard enough and sees it go flying out of his hands as he manages to keep his footing.

I punched him across the face, sparks flying from my fists and as I remembered the bullets he fired into me, I hit him again in the gut, knocking him down.

"Nice one, Kyon!" said Haruhi, running to me as the rest of the people return from wherever they'd hid from the gunfire. "Now get this last gate open!"

Once again, I extended my hands.

* * *

The gate opened to a wall of machine guns and barbed wire. Nothing was said as they opened fire, tearing through the people like ragdolls. I don't know why nothing hit me; I must've been an easy target as I stood rooted to the ground, innocents ripped to shreds by the hundreds of bullets flying through the air.

I had my proof then and there that Haruhi had nothing to do with the Ray Sphere. She would never wish for this.

I broke out of it as Haruhi saw her chance and broke into a sprint, finding a door in the side and with that strength of hers, forced it down, only to find that it led her direct into the river below.

I had to run for it. Somehow I saw a break and crashed through that same doorway, except I managed to jump, landing in the decontamination unit that had been put up on the side of the bridge- but the walkway had been removed, explaining why Haruhi had fallen. I just managed to catch sight of her swimming below.

The room was thrown into darkness as the door slammed shut behind me. As a light came on, I realised I was looking through a glass wall at a woman in a chair, dressed in a black suit, her hands in her lap. She didn't seem remotely surprised by my presence, but rather, looked as though she was expecting me.

"Hello, "Kyon"," she said, using that nickname as though she was someone familiar to me. "I've been waiting for you. My name is Rin. I'm an agent from the PSIA."

She didn't explain anymore, but I already knew. The Public Security Intelligence Agency, the national intelligence agency of Japan.

"I knew you would try to escape the town after that broadcast from that anarchist," said Rin. "But I've heard of you- more specifically, your powers."

"What do you want with me?"

"I've been sent here by the government with a task," said Rin. "It involves you- and with your powers, you're the best placed person to help me. Tell, me what do you make of this?"

I squinted at the papers she held up, and then I realised they were blueprints for a device- a very familiar device.

"That's the bomb."

"It's called a Ray Sphere," said Rin. "And it's not a bomb. After all, you wouldn't be standing here if it was."

If it's not a bomb, then what is it?

"A device like nothing you've ever heard of," said Rin. "It was that device that gave you powers. And it did so at the cost of the lives of those who were killed by the blast."

Wha-

"Once activated, it triggers an energy vortex that absorbs the bio-electricity of anyone caught in it, disintegrating the people in the process. That absorbed power is concentrated into the one who holds the Sphere. In this case, you. All those people died to give you the power to control electricity."

All those people died to give you the power to control electricity…

Rin never said it like an accusation, yet it sounded like one to me. It rang out in my head, and she must've seen the horror on my face, for she quickly moved on.

"We've known that this device was being developed by a group called the First Sons, thanks to someone we planted amongst them," said Rin. "An American- and my husband, John."

His name broke me out of it.

"What did you say his name was?"

"John," Rin repeated, looking at me curiously.

"What's his family name?"

"White."

I sighed, still trying to hide my relief, and I quickly made up some story about I'd once met a foreigner called John in the town and thought he might've been the one.

If this John had turned out to be another John Smith-

"We lost contact with John the night of the blast," said Rin. "And then, of course, the blast occurred. My proposition for you is simple, Kyon. Find John and the Ray Sphere. Get them both to me. You do this, and I'll not only deal with clearing your name about this, I'll get you and your friends out of the quarantine. I'll even help with the medical fees for your father."

I may not be a conspiracy crackpot like the Voice of Survival, but even I could pick out the threat in that last sentence.

"So, what do you say?"

Do I have a choice?

"Very well," she said. Another door opened. "You'll be escorted back to the city. I'll be in touch, Kyon."

* * *

I was led down a dim passageway. My escorts said nothing, but they didn't seem anywhere as grim as Rin had been. I paused, something about them seemed off.

A man with a simple smile on his face. A woman who looked quite young for this job with a blank face. And another man who looked around his settings as though he'd rarely seen anything like it.

I sighed and stopped walking. "Let me guess. Esper, alien and time traveller, right?"

They all nodded.

"You catch on quick, Kyon," said the esper. "I was worried we'd have to wait till we got outside to speak like this to you."

"What do you all want with me?" I asked, not breaking my pace, still walking ahead of them.

"Oh, to more or less make you the same offer as Agent Rin did," said the esper.

"All three of our organisations have enough influence within the Japanese government to get you out of the quarantine and match the reward she offers you," said the interface.

"You want the Sphere," I said. "But why? I can guess why the government are after it, but why do you want it? You've already got your own abilities."

They don't answer immediately.

"The Ray Sphere works on a select group of people similar to espers," said the esper. "They identify themselves as conduits. They are people with supernatural abilities, or at least can develop them. You of course, are a conduit as well. We are curious about this."

"It is a device that changes data on a large scale," said the interface. "As such, the Data Integration Thought Entity is very interested in procuring it."

"It seems to use futuristic technology," said the time traveller. "It requires looking into."

I wasn't sure if that was their real reasons, or just part of the reason. Maybe I was going paranoid after hearing too many of Haruhi's conspiracy theories, but something told me that no one would be after something as dangerous as this device for such few reasons.

But fine, I'll give it to you three, I guess- why are you shaking your heads?

"You misunderstand, Kyon," said the esper, still wearing a smile.

"The Ray Sphere is a device that one would not wish to pass around," said the interface.

The time traveller shrugged. "Long story short, we're not going to share something like this Sphere."

Great, you pick now of all times to start becoming paranoid. How the hell am I supposed to pick between you? Actually, shouldn't the time traveller here already know who I'll pick and whatever?

He looked oddly embarrassed at that. "The timeline is not as strict as you think. The Ray Sphere being activated was not supposed to happen. It- classified information- but it was not supposed to happen- classified information. Something changed the timeline."

Can't you just go back into the future, or back to the night of the blast, or-

"We can't change established events," said the time traveller. "And on top of that, we've entered a state of chaos where anything can happen. No one can travel to this point in time or away from it at the moment. Although we'll suspect the chaos will end once- classified information."

Fine, fine. So what, do I just pick whichever group out of a hat or something?

"Well, I would hope you give it some thought, Kyon," said the esper, placing a hand on my shoulder, and bringing us all to a halt. "After all, the groups you do not select might be somewhat…offended by it."

Offended? Hang on, you mean- oh, no. No, no, no.

"Kyon, the espers have always had a high opinion of you, you are the one chosen by Miss Suzumiya after all," said the esper. His grip on my shoulder tightened. "We wouldn't want to change this high opinion, would we?"

The interface took a step right behind me. "The Data Integration Thought Entity recognises you as a powerful conduit and the only person capable of influencing Haruhi Suzumiya. It only wishes to enter an alliance with you, and it would be a shame if you were to go against its wishes after all this."

The time traveller placed his hand on my other shoulder. "Give the Ray Sphere to the time travellers or your descendants will be the ones to pay for your mistake." After the other two glanced at him, he shrugged. "Not all of us have to do the whole subtle act."

Electricity crackled from my shoulders, causing the esper and time traveller to release me. I turned around.

I may be inexperienced with my powers, and I probably don't even have much chance against one of you. But in case you three have forgotten, I'm also John Smith. Even if Haruhi has little to do with the Ray Sphere right now- I can change that.

For a moment, as I looked into their faces, I thought they might actually respond. Something told me they didn't take my threat as seriously as I took theirs. Instead, they all took a step back, allowing me to start walking again, and once more, they followed.

Still, they'd shown me one thing. They were willing to risk just about everything for the Ray Sphere. But if that was the case- there to be more to it than this. Why else would they actually threaten me for it? I had to find out more about it, but clearly they weren't going to help.

"If we need to contact you again, we'll do so through our agents," said the time traveller.

"Interestingly, several espers are starting to be able to use more of their powers outside of Closed Space since the blast," said the esper. "But even so, you will be mostly unaided by our groups if you must participate in any combat with the First Sons or any other groups or gangs while finding the Ray Sphere."

What? Why, because entrusting all your hopes on the shoulders of a guy who's only had powers for two weeks makes perfect sense?

"It has been deemed unsafe to let Haruhi Suzumiya know about us, even with current circumstances as they are," said the interface.

"Quite so," said the esper. "We cannot let Miss Suzumiya see all of her friends with powers; such a thing would invoke even greater feelings of envy, which would be another step on the path of her becoming self-aware."

"While you may wish to inform Haruhi Suzumiya about your deal with Agent Rin and the Ray Sphere, you will of course, neglect mentioning us," said the interface.

We finally came out of the passage, revealing that it led underneath the bridge. I looked down at the water beneath me, feeling a slight prickle of fear.

"You'll have to climb these pipes that go underneath the bridge to get back," said the esper cheerfully. "Good luck."

I didn't look away from the water. "Yeah, I have this little problem- my powers go a little crazy if I'm immersed in water, and landing in that much will end up with me being electrocuted."

A second bridge appeared, leading all the way back to town. "Then I would suggest you hurry," said the interface, evidently responsible for it. "It will start to disappear behind you in order to stop anyone using the bridge as well."

As I ran across the bridge, I pictured myself in a 2D platform game with the screen slowly advancing behind me.

* * *

It was early evening when all five of us had got to the roof. I was forced to wear a blindfold as Haruhi changed out of her dripping uniform (why did she still wear it, anyway?), having swum the whole way back from where she'd fallen into the river. We didn't have our usual tea, but instead we had cans of fizzy drink kept cold thanks to the cooler I'd supplied with electricity. I ought to start charging Haruhi for this.

Koizumi's hand brushed against my leg, and I batted it away, giving him a small electric shock in the process.

"Sorry Kyon, I was just stretching and you know, I'm wearing a blindfold as well."

Yeah, I'll bet. I wouldn't be surprised if Haruhi had finished changing ages ago and she'd just neglected to tell me so I could sit here looking stupid.

"Anyway, as you can see, my beloved subordinates, everything I've been saying is true," came Haruhi's voice. "Shadowy organisations, the government being in cahoots with terrorists, and Adolf Hitler never did commit suicide but escaped to Argentina."

When have you ever said any one of those theories?

"Kyon! Since you're the one the Feds are trying to use, I hope you're not stupid enough to actually give them the Ray Sphere once you find it!"

…did you actually call them Feds? Wait, never mind.

Well, what do you expect me to do? I'm kinda stuck here, with a government threatening my dad, time travellers threatening my descendants, aliens threatening…my data, and espers threatening to unleash an army of Koizumis on me.

So I'm personally leaning with giving them the Sphere.

"You can't trust the government with something like that!" said Haruhi. "You have to bring that Sphere back here!"

Oh, alright. I suppose I could use a sidekick.

"How dare you suggest yourself to be superior to your Chief! I hope you haven't forgotten that even with your powers, your attitude means you're still ranked the lowest in the Brigade! Penalty!"

Huh, I just realised. With the state of the town as it is, no restaurants are open for us to go to and have me pay for everyone's food. Finally some good news.

"Although, now that you mention sidekicks, I've just had a brilliant idea!" said Haruhi. "And take that stupid blindfold off already; I finished changing ten minutes ago."

I knew it.

"What idea did you have, Miss Suzumiya?" Koizumi asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Haruhi asked. "The SOS Brigade- of Superheroes! We need some costumes, and a lot of cool gadgets, and maybe a team vehicle. And then once we clear up the town we should make a film trilogy and release a hit single- oh, but Kyon can't go in the team vehicle; he'll just blow it up."

What the- superheroes? We're just trying to survive here! Do you want to make us a target for every single gang?

...not to mention a hit single would be us completely selling out.

"Kyon, have you forgotten our very purpose?" Haruhi demanded. "As we know, the SOS Brigade's mission is to find aliens, espers and time travellers! If my experience has taught me anything, becoming a superhero starts to bring about more characters from all kinds of places! Why, give it some time and you'll already be facing your first super villain!"

What do you mean- "my experience"?

"Look at these!" Haruhi ran around the sofa, bringing up a cardboard shoebox, which she opened to reveal a stash of manga and Western comics. "The moment a superhero shows up, mysterious allies and villains start appearing as well! From all kinds of planets, dimensions, time planes and with all kinds of powers!"

I'd say something, but the problem is she's right.

Haruhi pounced on Asahina. "Mikuru, for your costume you need a cape, red or orange or yellow! And something to show off your wonderful breasts!" She shouts, grabbing the time traveller's chest, apparently to remind us what breasts are.

I make to stand up in order to pull Haruhi off Asahina, when a better idea comes into my head and I stay seated.

Hey, look everyone. I'm juggling electricity. Isn't it incredible?

Haruhi immediately released Asahina, mesmerized by my latest trick. Exactly as planned.

"So cool!" Asahina shoots me a grateful look as Haruhi actually squeals. Yes Haruhi, look at the shiny electricity. Look at the shiny shiny.

Now that I think about it, does Haruhi have ADHD? Might explain a lot.

"It's very impressive, Kyon," said Koizumi, leaning towards me. I stopped in order to move away from him.

"Oh, and you need a mask, Koizumi!" said Haruhi, forgetting all about the electricity juggling as she looked over to the esper. "One of those ones that just go over the eyes. And you need to have the classic superhero look! Bright colours! And you have to wear your underwear over your trousers!"

I actually see Koizumi's smile twitch uncomfortably at that.

"Kyon! First thing, we need a full face mask to hide how hideous you are. See? That scowl you've got proves my point! And if Koizumi's going the classic superhero way, you can be the dark gritty reboot superhero! Wearing leather! Black leather!"

My phone rang before I could think of a suitable response.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Kyon," Rin's familiar voice came out of the speaker. "I've heard reports of others with powers down on Nakamichi Street. Where there are more people with powers, there'll be a link to the Ray Sphere."

"I'm on my way," I said, ending the call.

"Awesome! Let's go straight away!" said Haruhi, having eavesdropped as a result of my phone being on loudspeaker.

Ah. Yeah, about that whole "the two of us together" thing. How about you sit here and- look, just let me find this damn Sphere and we can go on all the adventures you like after we get out of this hellhole.

"What? No way I'm sitting here and letting you have all the fun!"

I'll tell you all about it when I get back. In the meantime, you ought to get back to your house, it'll be nightfall soon.

Haruhi's face twists through about five different expressions before she turns away, flopping down in the armchair and switching on the TV. Somehow I get the feeling I'll pay for this later. Well, this is still good enough, I just hope the others can keep her out of trouble.

Aw, who am I kidding? This place will be on fire next time I see it.

* * *

Nakamichi Street is just into Karite Family territory. I occasionally spotted a few of them watching over the roads from the rooftops on my way here, but thankfully, they didn't spot me. I've been shot enough times over the past few days, and I get the feeling I'm in for more.

The street is mostly deserted, and the one thing out of place is the corpse of a woman.

I approached the body, looking for clues that might link her to the sighted guy with powers. And then, as I leant down to turn her over, my hand brushed against her face.

Images flashed through my mind, of the woman- no, her name was Akemi- separated from her fiancée, running from guns of Karite thugs, shooting people for sport. But as she stumbled down this street, thinking she'd lost them, she ran straight into a group of them. With one familiar person clad in a long white coat at their fore.

It was hard to recognise him at first, thanks to the surgical mask he was wearing that some people wore to stave off the plague.

But it was the same face of that sneering bastard.

My fists crackled with electricity, and as I looked up, it was like I could see the remnants of where his bioelectricity had touched the air, and I saw that ragged outline that would lead me to him.

I'd forgotten about them. The sneering bastard, Fujiwara. The renegade esper, Kyouko Tachibana. The interface from the Sky Canopy Dominion, Kuyou Suou. And of course, Sasaki. The Anti-SOS Brigade, as I had dubbed them.

I didn't know what they might have to do with the Ray Sphere. Maybe the Sphere was of the design of the SCD? But still, this was something to look into.

That's what I told myself, that I was investigating the Sphere, that I was avenging that innocent woman. Nothing to do with how much I'd like to see that bastard's face as he goes flying from a lightning bolt hitting him in the torso.

I followed the trail, that took the shape of green lines of light forming the shape of the bastard along the road, and it led me down an alleyway perpendicular to the street. I walked along the alley, still following the trace that told me the sneering bastard had passed that way.

The alley eventually widened out, and the road it spat me out onto was nowhere as quiet as Nakamichi Street. A large house had gathered several people in front of it, and many of them were watching with fearful faces.

"What's going on?" I asked once I reached them.

"A couple of Karite thugs took a group of people and are holding them hostage!" said a man. "My fiancée's in there!"

I recognised him.

"Akemi's dead. She was shot back on Nakamichi Street."

"How the- what? No, that can't be! You're lying! Wait, I recognise you, you're that fucking terrorist-"

"No one could've done anything," I continued, before he got the entire crowd recognising me. "I'm sorry."

The man actually started to cry before me. I just stood there dumbly, not doing a thing. How was I supposed to comfort a man nearly ten years older than me?

I looked back to the house. As I thought. The trace led in there. The only thing I could guess was that Fujiwara was helping the Karite somehow.

I pushed the people out of my way, and approached the door. It was locked.

I broke it down with a shockwave, sending the door hurling down the house's passage into the kitchen.

A Karite thug jumped out of the living room, and I ran at him before he could raise his gun, slamming him against the wall. "Where's Fujiwara?"

The man didn't reply, just made some sort of gurgling noise. I brought my knee into his stomach, and as he hit the ground, I stooped to slam my fist into his stomach. He rolled out of the way, by accident, he'd simply been clutching at his stomach from where my knee had hit him.

To my surprise, the electricity that discharged from my fist flowed into the ground, and then took shape around his arms and legs, actually forming sort of electric shackles. I wasn't entirely sure how that worked, but I wasn't complaining.

I headed upstairs. I was surprised by the lack of resistance so far, but that changed quickly enough as a single blast from a shotgun sent me crashing back down the stairs I'd just climbed.

One blast and it felt like I was being mowed down by three rifles again. The thug ran across the landing, and appeared at the top of the stairs. He cocked his shotgun.

The shockwave I responded with only took the thug's feet away, and he fell down the stairs after me, landing on top of me. The thug snarled at me, but I managed to grab his arms and roll, placing him underneath me.

The pain of the shot that had gone through my chest. The sneering bastard. The crying man outside. The murdered woman-

All the pieces came together to form a perfect picture of anger, and I grabbed his face.

I don't know what I did, but I _drained_ the thug, absorbing his bioelectricity, letting it flood into my body. I felt it heal the wounds left from the shotgun, recharge me, but as it did, I felt the man beneath me die.

I remained there for a while. It was then I realised I'd probably killed before, the Karite thugs back in Shashu Square and some of the guards on the bridge. I couldn't have actually knocked them all out.

And then, now that I thought about, of course there were the people who died to give me these powers and those who died in the aftermath. Yes, I knew it wasn't my fault; someone used me to activate the Ray Sphere-

My eyes never left the body beneath me. I don't know why, but I had to look under his skull mask, see the face of the man I'd-

I'll admit it. I screamed.

Something had _happened _to that man's face. His skin stretched and taut over bones that pressed up as though struggling to get out, his face discoloured, and his eyes- I can't describe them. I don't want to describe them.

I couldn't have done that, could I? The Karite had to have something to do with this; there was no way I could have been responsible for that-

I managed to cover his face with the mask, just dropping it over him rather than pulling it back over his head; I didn't want to touch him. I climbed to my feet, and headed upstairs, to look for the hostages.

Three of them were waiting in the largest bedroom, with two more of them huddled over a sixth. "They're gone. Get out of here."

The first three ran past me, but the last three didn't go anywhere. As I approached, I saw that the man lying on the floor had been shot, and despite the efforts of the two over him, he was bleeding out.

Maybe it was in my desperation to be able to do some good after draining a man of his life. But somehow, I crouched down, my hands crackling with electricity, and it flowed into the lying man.

Just like how electricity accelerated my healing, it did the same to him, and in moments, he had changed from knocking at Death's door to someone who looked like he might just make a miraculous recovery.

"Find a doctor, just to make sure," I said, and the man managed to thank me as the two people next to him took him outside, both escorting him.

I walked over to the broken window, and as the people begin to disperse now the hostages were released, my eyes strayed- and then, across the road I saw _him_. He sat on a bench, clad in a long white coat, his mask pulled down so he could actually eat popcorn, still with that damned sneer on his face. Then he waved me over, his sneer turning into a smirk.

* * *

"All hail Kyon, our hero!" Fujiwara cheered, mockingly clapping his hands above his head as I came out of the house. I took a few steps so I stood at the edge of the pavement, the road the only thing that separated us.

I'm in no mood for this, you bastard. What's this about?

"Isn't it obvious?" Fujiwara said, through another mouthful of popcorn. "I'm thanking you, Kyon." His smirk became a full grin. "You completely fucked up the future. How can I not thank you? I heard they managed to get that kid out, but since we're in chaos- you might've achieved my goal already."

"What?" I said, out of reflex more than anything; I remembered the time traveller's words well enough.

"You know, I'm surprised those time travellers didn't kill you on sight," said Fujiwara. "You must be the first person to alter the timeline so drastically and get away with it. But then again, they do need you to find the Ray Sphere, don't they?"

What do you know about the Ray Sphere?

Fujiwara chuckled, before he leaned forwards. "Oh, I could tell you so much. I know exactly what all your little "friends" are hiding from you. I know how they're forcing you to work for them. I know that even though you've gained powers, you're still the little slave you've always been."

Nice. How long have you been writing this little speech? Did you have help?

"Now Kyon, be nice," said Fujiwara. "I'll tell you everything you want to know and more. On one little condition."

I wasn't expecting him to stand up, throw the half-eaten bag of popcorn aside and extend his hand. "Join us."

Is that a joke? Join you? After you kidnapped Miss Asahina, after you tried to murder a kid-

Fujiwara growled, his smugness gone. "What's the matter with you? I'm giving you a chance to be free of the people using you. For once you'd be able to do what you want without having to be forced into doing it for some false greater good."

"If you're such a great guy, why are you working with the Karite Family?"

"Them? Those idiots?" He delivered his trademark sneer. "You think I'm working for those fools? No, I made a small deal with them for some information, and that's all done with. So, what do you say, Kyon?"

All you're asking me to do is trade these people who you say are using me for your own people, who'll use me. I'm afraid not, Fujiwara. At least amongst these people, I still have people I can call friends.

"Well then, this was a waste of time," said Fujiwara, his eyes narrowed.

He started to walk away, but a bolt of lightning that struck the ground only inches away from his feet stops him in his tracks.

"You know, I'm still interested in that information," I said, flexing the hand that just discharged the electricity. "So I'll make you a new deal. Tell me and I won't fry you."

…actually, wasn't that what Haruhi threatened that woman with? Damn, she's rubbing off on me.

"Oh, good," said Fujiwara. "I was hoping you'd make me do this."

He pulls a submachine gun out of his coat, and I hurl a lightning bolt at him.

I wasn't expecting to see him disappear into thin air.

He reappeared at the mouth of the alley that had led me here, and I roll out of the way of a spray of gunfire before sending another bolt at him.

He did his vanishing trick again, this time reappearing in front of the house, facing me. He crouches, bending his knees, and the ground begins to shake.

"Didn't they tell you?" His grin stretched from ear to ear. "You are not alone."

A bright blue shockwave streamed across the ground, tearing the earth beneath it and knocking cars through the air as though they were made of paper. I jumped out of the way- only to discover it doesn't move in straight lines and it can change course.

The force of it sent flying me across the street, through the shop window of a china shop. Well, I ended up making a louder noise than the bull would have.

Picking teacup fragments out of my hair, my bruises and cuts healing as I drain the shop of any mains power left, I climb out of the shop display to be greeted by the bastard's laughter.

"Once again, I've got to thank you, my fellow conduit."

Fujiwara's grin now hits a solid nine on my Annoying meter. That beats Koizumi's smile, Taniguchi and my little sister, but still can't take down Haruhi.

"I saw my future before, but no matter what changed, this was never foreseen," said Fujiwara. "My powers should've been there, lurking under the surface for my whole life- but thanks to the blast, that's changed. I'll succeed in my goal. With these powers- after all, you've just seen how strong they are, haven't you?"

Wait, what? I thought Rin said the only person who got powers from the Ray Sphere was the conduit holding it-

"At first I thought meeting you was a waste of my time, but it's really enjoyable, watching you stumble around like an infant. Feel like going through any more windows?"

I've always thought of myself as a rational and controlled person. But, when a sneering bastard blasts you through a shop window after firing on you with a submachine gun, I think that must be when you begin to do things differently.

Fujiwara, I'm going to beat the living daylights out of you.

* * *

AN:

Now, I'll answer the big question you've all been asking.

Was Fujiwara eating sweet or salted popcorn?

The answer is of course, neither, he was eating the amazing Butterkist Toffee Popcorn, the greatest popcorn ever made. I've no idea how he managed to acquire it in Japan.

Er, moving on.

From what I've seen so far in the novels, Fujiwara's got a much more interesting character than the others in the Anti SOS Brigade, while Sasaki and Kuyou are intriguing because you don't know enough about them, and Kyouko just comes off as a Sasaki fanatic.

He has a clear goal which he focuses on, it's understandable why he's pursuing it (knowing every moment of your future life would probably suck as well as dealing with what could be interpreted as cunning manipulators ensuring it runs smoothly) and part of his bitter bastardly ways recognise that he doesn't have much chance of bringing about his goal.

So I wrote him a bit more…excitable than he's portrayed in canon, because both he has his biggest chance of changing the future- heck, it's already changed- but also because I wanted someone who enjoyed the hell out of his powers, as a contrast to Kyon, who although he does have a part of him that thinks his powers are cool and everything, he also realises that the town's turned into a hellhole thanks to them.

inFamous gamers will recognise Fujiwara's powers to be the same as the Reaper conduits. Since there's only one of him, I've amped up his power level a bit.

Lastly, why give Fujiwara powers, you may ask? Well, firstly, I wanted to throw the Anti SOS Brigade into this chapter and also start Kyon's first encounter with another person with powers. And why not just make him fight someone like Kuyou, you ask instead? Well, Kyon still only has a couple of weeks of experience with his powers, they're not even that developed, and it's a better idea to start him off against someone on his level than someone who's had them for three years and would probably end up wiping the floor with him.

I'm not gonna just start handing powers to all the side characters; it's pretty much just Fujiwara at the moment. While I have a few plans for how Tsuraya gets involved, I still am planning for Taniguchi and…the other guy. Kuni-something.

As I said, any questions, review or PM me.


	3. Tarred and Shot

Again, a fairly packed chapter. This fic moves at a pretty fast pace...

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter III- Tarred and Shot

I couldn't keep up with Fujiwara. That I quickly realised.

He teleported out of the way of any bolts, shot at me while I stood out in the open and he unleashed shockwaves when I made it to cover.

"What's the matter, Kyon? What happened to "tell me or I'll fry you"?" His words were accompanied by bullets.

I skidded across the ground to avoid the rounds and fired back, but he'd already teleported up onto a rooftop, where he calmly started reloading his gun. Damn it, he's just got too many advantages over me and he decides how the fight progresses.

Think Kyon, think. I can at least outsmart him, right? While he's reloading, I can at least try and figure out his weaknesses.

His teleportation isn't perfect; I could see the blurred movement through the air telling me at least which direction he's going. Still, it didn't tell me when he'd stop. He's not that accurate with the gun because of how he keeps jumping around. He's messing with me for his own fun, he's not actually out to kill me.

Fujiwara appeared back in the middle of the road. I blasted a parked car at him with a shockwave, but he teleported out of the way, somehow almost lazily. If you can imagine a lazy teleportation, that is.

He's a lot more in tune with his teleportation than I am with my electricity. Either his powers develop quicker than I do, or he's been practising almost religiously to the point he barely needs to think to teleport.

And I suspect the latter.

He appeared at the top of the lamppost, sitting atop it as though he hadn't a care in the world, his legs swinging idly. "How much longer do you want to do this, anyway? I'm almost starting to get bored."

I don't fire a bolt at him; he'd just teleport again. I've got to hit him while he's off guard. Somehow I have to distract him and take him by surprise

Er, say, Fujiwara, what happened to the rest of your buddies? Where's the lesbian and the one with the speech impediment?

"They've been unbearable, I'll tell you that," Fujiwara said instantly, as though he'd been eager to rant about them for some time. "Blah blah blah, protect Sasaki, blah blah blah, the …Canopy…Dominion…"

Fujiwara cut himself off and teleported just in time. The bolt of electricity hit the lamppost instead, and the whole thing crackled briefly.

He appeared on the ground across the road, crouching as he readied his shockwave, and I threw myself through the air to escape the blue wave of power tearing up the ground.

Then I realised something.

I threw a few bolts at Fujiwara to get him to teleport again. I hadn't given his powers as much thought as I should've, granted, it's hard to concentrate under the pressure of a fight. But Fujiwara's shockwaves were very different from mine, which simply launched people or objects through the air. He wasn't choosing to manifest them differently, his could _only_ go through the ground- but more importantly, he had to actually charge them up.

The ground shook again, but this time I knew better than to dodge when I knew Fujiwara took a few vulnerable seconds to charge up his shockwave. I turned to my left where I had felt the tremors come from, and fired off a bolt at him.

He teleported out of the way, avoiding it and not completing his own attack.

I had to guess from what the slight blur of movement showed me. It was all I could do. I span around to look directly behind me and threw a lightning bolt forward- just as he appeared.

The look on his face as the bolt hits him straight in the chest is something I desperately wish was caught on film.

And one is all it takes. While his powers are strong, they haven't done a thing to his physical strength. He needs his teleportation; he's the glass cannon type. If you're only going to hit him once, you have to make it count.

I sprinted forwards, as he struggled to get up. He reached for his gun, but I reached it first.

And then, electricity started to crackle in my hand. Something smelt like it was cooking, what was it- and it was about at this point I realised it might be the gunpowder.

I threw the firearm to the side, just in time. Like the car Haruhi and I had tried to hotwire, it exploded. Okay, can't hold guns, can't go in cars, and can't get immersed in water.

"What the hell did you do?" Fujiwara asked, staring dumbly at the remnants of his submachine gun.

I slammed my hand onto Fujiwara's gut, channelling electricity through his body and letting it pass into the earth to let it form shackles around Fujiwara's arms and legs. Hopefully the current through his body would disrupt his teleportation. "Where's the Ray Sphere, Fujiwara?"

"Don't waste my time. I know your type. Sure, you'd gladly send bolts at me while I can fight back, but you don't have the guts to hurt a man while he can't defend himself."

I bit my lip. He was right. The idea of well, torturing someone for information didn't sit well with me.

"Knew it," said Fujiwara, after moments of inaction from me. "You're such a-"

I punched him in the face.

I was holding back in order to not knock him out, but even still, the electricity that discharged as I hit him is mostly instinct.

"Again?"

"Fuck you," Fujiwara said, back to his old sneer. "I'm not gonna break under your-"

I interrupted him for the second time. "Who said I was trying to interrogate you? I just wanted to punch you again before she springs you free."

"What?"

"Oh my, you noticed me," a girl's voice called out to me, but the voice came from above.

* * *

Kyouko Tachibana touched down on the earth behind me. Evidently, she was one of the espers whose powers had grown in the real world. Just my luck. Oh, and she can fly. Well, that's what they always did in Closed Space.

"Do you mind letting Fujiwara go, Kyon?" She asked me with a small smile.

Sure. Perhaps you'd also like to whip me naked from here to China.

"Don't be ridiculous."

Oh, you're too generous.

"Korea's far enough."

I launch a lightning bolt at her; but she's already seen it coming and sidesteps. I'm starting to get a little annoyed with everyone just dodging.

"So, as I said, Kyon," Kyouko said, raising her right hand to her forehead. "Do you mind letting Fujiwara go?"

"Make m-"

A short beam of red energy hit my chest and took me off my feet with almost as much force as the shotgun that had sent me down a flight of stairs.

I could hear Fujiwara's laughter as I lay on my back, my body slowly healing the wound form where the beam had burned into me. I managed to climb to my feet and stumbled towards a car, draining the battery dry to heal myself.

By the time I was done; Kyouko had managed to free Fujiwara.

"Now, we'll be going," She said brightly. "No hard feelings, right Kyon?"

"What?" Fujiwara turned to her, clearly disappointed. "Come on, let's just beat him black and blue and leave him in a dumpster. Then we'll go."

Kyouko placed her hand on her chin as she decided whether this would be worth the time or not.

I made the decision for her.

Fujiwara teleported away to avoid the lightning bolts I was flinging, while Kyouko raised her hands, forming some sort of glowing red shield before her. The bolts harmlessly fizzled away as they hit the shield, and I stopped firing to rethink my strategy.

Next thing I knew Kyouko was shrieking with laughter like a deranged harpy as she rose up into the air, dive-bombing me with fireballs.

I ran. I didn't know what Fujiwara was doing, but since I'd destroyed his gun I'd at least taken away one of his weapons.

One fireball hit my back, and I felt it burning through my jacket- I fell, not because of the fire but because I'd tripped over the kerb. I rolled over, extinguishing the flames, only to see her soar through the sky again towards me, her hands burning.

God damn it, first Fujiwara with his teleportation, now psychic beams and shields and fireb- wait a second.

A barrage of fireballs flew at me, and I raised my hand. The shockwave I released blew them all apart, deflecting them or forcing them to burn out.

And just like with Fujiwara, there it is. That one look of surprise on her face that has given me my window of opportunity.

One lightning bolt was all it took to knock her out of the sky.

She wasn't too high up, so I hadn't been bothered by the idea of her falling, but Fujiwara teleported beneath her and caught her. He then quickly released her, letting her stand upright- and then Kyouko smiled at me.

I've seen some terrifying things in my time. That smile might not have topped the monstrous face of the Karite thug, but somehow I could feel how livid she was behind it, the building rage behind that twisted smile, and I saw a dark gleam in her eyes as she just smiled at me-

The red beam hit me again.

This time though, she was doing more than knocking me off my feet. It burned into my chest, roasting almost completely through the jacket and shirt I wore. But I didn't care about my clothes at the moment; I was a bit more preoccupied with the pain that left me a twitching wreck on the ground.

Somehow through it all I noticed in my head that the pyrokinesis was just her messing around, but the other stuff, psychic mind beams or whatever was her being absolutely serious.

She didn't fire again, seeming content to watch me struggle to get back to my feet. Her smile didn't fade, and neither did Fujiwara's grin.

My eyes rolled back, looking directly above me, and then a dark shape appeared above me. I squinted- and then froze as I lay prone on the earth, as I realised it was Kuyou Suou who was standing above me.

"Greetings," she stated; her face blank, her eyes distant.

I looked back to Kyouko and Fujiwara. I barely took down the latter before- and judging by the already fading bruise on his face, he has some accelerated healing as well. I can't come close to Kyouko when she's serious.

And I don't have a chance against an interface, especially when I'm lying here on the ground unable to get up with my chest feeling like it's kissed a blowtorch.

Oh come on Kyon, get up, you have lightning powers for God's sake! You can at least get up!

I reached out with my left arm. There was the car I'd flung at Fujiwara a metre or two away, a bit far, but there had to be some power left in that-

"_will not_...anymore_..." Kuyou said. Her foot came down on my arm before I could extend it enough.

Kyouko approached, while Fujiwara was apparently too good for walking and teleported next to me.

Get up! Get up!

Kuyou had released my arm, and I forced myself to rise, my teeth gritted and the agony near unbearable. The three of them surrounded me, all less than a metre away, and I let my arms crackle with electricity, hoping it'd cause them to at least take a few steps back- but Kyouko's lip only curled and she slammed her hand down through the air above me.

And as she did so, it was like a giant invisible hand impacted with me, sending me down once more and smashing the back of my head against the pavement. I nearly blacked out on impact.

And there I was. Helpless and at the mercy of my enemies. You know what? This is typical superhero crap. This is Haruhi's doing.

Except unlike a superhero, I didn't have some magical Deus Ex Machina to pull me from the fire-

"Hold it right there."

I managed to look up to a rooftop, and immediately wished I hadn't. It's Koizumi. And apparently Haruhi had managed to find his outfit.

It was then I saw the magnitude of what could happen by allowing Haruhi to influence this world that had formed outside her desires. It had created hell.

Bright red, yellow and green. A cape. Underpants worn over his trousers.

Koizumi- just, just- why?

He adjusted the mask that went over his eyes. "I have no idea who you're talking about. I just happen to be a passing esper with a love of justice and protecting the innocent."

Haruhi's not even here, why do you need to wear that?

Koizumi shrugged. "Well, if I was the person you were talking about, I would say that she was having us model different costumes and then we had to escort her home before it got too dark, but we didn't have the time to change before we came after you."

Meanwhile, Fujiwara looked like he's trying to hold back laughter. Kyouko's smile hadn't faded, although now it held just a hint of revulsion. Kuyou as ever, had a blank face.

"Do you honestly think dressing like…that is going to stop us?" Fujiwara managed.

"Stop you?" Koizumi shook his head. "You misunderstand me. I'm not going to stop you. She is."

And on cue, another figure appeared next to him. Nagato. Wearing a hooded cape and what appeared to be a dark blue one piece swimsuit.

Makes me wonder, what exactly did Haruhi make Asahina wear?

"Kyon, you're drooling all of a sudden," Koizumi "helpfully" pointed out.

Fortunately, the Anti-SOS Brigade ignored that. Fujiwara and Kyouko simply exchanged glances before they looked over to Kuyou.

"Continued hostilities_ result_...assured destruction_…" The interface said.

"There you have it," said Koizumi. He jumped off the building, and as he fell, time seemed to slow as he landed lightly on his feet. "There is nothing for you or us to gain from this."

Kyouko threw a dark look at Koizumi. "Very well."

She lifted herself off the ground, flying up to the rooftops. Kuyou took a single jump to join her. Fujiwara- the bastard- sneered and kicked me while I was down before he teleported up next to them.

"Till next time, my fellow conduit," said the bastard, as he pulled up his surgical mask.

He teleported again, and I caught sight of him in the distance disappearing and reappearing across the rooftops, while Kuyou simply leapt from roof to roof after him, and above them, Kyouko resembled a red shooting star going across the sky.

I managed to climb up to my feet as Nagato landed next to me and Koizumi, having just jumped down from the roof.

Well, thanks you two, I was getting worried for a moment-

"What were you thinking?" said Koizumi, actually looking stern; as stern has he could in that costume.

Nagato was silent, but it felt as though she was replicating Koizumi's mood as well.

What are you talking about, Koizumi?

"You placed yourself in a great deal of danger," said Koizumi. "It's one thing to take down common thugs when you can heal bullet wounds just by touching a lamppost, but it's entirely different to go after others with powers."

"Look, I didn't just willingly go after the three of them. Tachibana and Suou showed up afterwards, and besides, I didn't realise Fujiwara had powers at first."

"And who attacked first?" Nagato asked, although I could tell she already knew.

Yeah, I did.

"Even if you went after just one, they are dangerous," said Nagato. "Even with your powers you took a grave risk."

"They aren't some sort of comic relief villains who screw up at everything," said Koizumi. "I trust your powers are not giving you an arrogant streak?"

Don't be ridiculous.

"But would you have really gone after Fujiwara had you not had these powers, or would you have contacted us first?" Koizumi asked.

Well, technically I only knew he was involved because of these powers- wait, how did you know that?

Koizumi smiled and tapped his forehead. "I can use my powers outside of Closed Space now, remember?"

Oh good. He can read my thoughts now. I feel so… violated.

"Well, it's getting dark and you need a change of clothes," said Koizumi, indicating the numerous bullet holes and burns in my jacket. "Why don't you come to my house? I'm sure I have something in your size."

Yeah, I'll bet. You know what? The school's pretty close; I'll just sleep there for tonight.

* * *

"-up! Kyon! Come on Kyon, get up, get up!"

I groaned. "Sis- wait, Haruhi?" I rubbed my eyes, and then the memories come flooding back. For a moment there; I was back in my bedroom being woken by my little sister again.

Instead, I was sleeping on a pile of blankets in the SOS clubroom, with Haruhi pulling me up.

"Come on!"

I managed to grab my shoes before she dragged me off to the roof. When we got there; I saw a mass of lights coming up over the hill. I squinted; they looked like people holding burning torches-

You have got to be kidding me.

"Isn't this amazing? You've got an angry mob out for your blood!" Haruhi said. "That Voice of Survival guy started trashing you about an hour ago and then leaked your location to everyone watching. I wonder how he knew you were here-"

…amazing? Amazing?

At what fucking point does amazing even remotely summarise this situation? There must be two hundred fucking people down there; all of which want to kill me! Explain to me Haruhi; explain to me- how could this ever possibly be considered amazing?

Erm, obviously I didn't say how I felt about the situation in exactly those words to her, considering she'd probably have altered reality to make the entire town come out after me.

"Kyon, two hundred people is ridiculous. I wouldn't put it as anything more than a hundred."

That is such a relief.

My phone rang, providing a welcome distraction. Rin's voice greeted me as I answered the call. "Kyon. Are you aware about the mob after you?"

The two- no, one hundred people carrying burning torches? Well, they were pretty stealthy, but I managed to notice them somehow.

"Your priority is to get out of there with minimum civilian causalities," Rin said, ignoring my comment. "I suggest you either try slip past their notice or try and scare them off with a show of power."

"Yeah, there are a hundred people down there. I don't really think that's gonna work."

"Well, I've given you your task. Accomplish it whichever way you want. Anyway, you'd better get through this. I think I'll have my first leads for you to follow up on starting tomorrow."

Oh, thanks. Great help.

"Well?" said Haruhi, as I ended the call. "What do we have to do?"

Figure it out ourselves.

"Alright then," said Haruhi, smacking her fist into her palm. "Kyon! Fry every last one of them!"

"W-what?"

"How dare they threaten you! I mean, how dare they threaten one of my SOS Brigade! They deserve no mercy!"

There are a hundred people down there. I'm guessing they're not all unarmed either. And even if I could take down every last one of them, I'd still run out of power long before then and there's not that many places around here to recharge.

"So let me get this straight, even though you have superpowers, you can't take down a hundred civilians?" Haruhi frowned. "I suppose this is what happens when powers are given to the weakest member of the Brigade."

Well, if anyone ever wanted proof that Haruhi becoming self-aware of her powers would be a bad thing, there you go.

"Kyon, I've got it! We'll wait for them to break in! Then when they all crowd inside, we just blend in with them and we can escape."

"That's a solid enough plan," I said. "But, they're probably gonna recognise me-"

"No problem! Give me some light, would you?"

I raised my hands, passing a current through my fingers. Haruhi stared at my hands, mesmerised, but she quickly snapped out of it and looked around the roof. With the light, she quickly found a large box and dragged it over.

As she opened it, I could feel myself pale.

"Is that-"

"Yep, all the stuff I managed to swipe from this costume store. All the other rioters were busy wasting their time stealing food or batteries and they just left the place alone. Anyway, I gave the others a costume each, but you'd already left." She scowled, probably remembering how I'd refused to take her along.

"And I'm supposed to blend in wearing a superhero costume?" I asked.

"Don't be stupid! Just take a bit of each to try and change your appearance and not look too weird."

The angry mob was getting closer, and after a little bit of fighting with Haruhi over what clothes to wear (she tried to force me into this ugly green costume saying it suited me), I managed to find a blue jacket to replace the one that had been torn up quite badly by bullets and Kyouko's pyrokinesis, and a balaclava. Yes, it wasn't that brilliant a disguise, but it was dark and some of them would probably have covered faces as well.

"It's not very superhero-y, is it?" Haruhi said.

"Can we just go?" I asked, zipping up the jacket.

"Right. We'll hide out in one of the classrooms, and then when they pass by, we mix in."

I pulled the balaclava on as we headed down the stairs, still glowing with electricity to light our way. With the noises of the mob breaking into the school while the place was filled with darkness, it almost had some sort of survival horror vibe to it all.

"Er, Haruhi, now's probably not the time, but did you ever play Resident Evil?"

"Yeah, why?"

Please don't let there be any zombies, please don't let there be any zombies-

We ended up on one of the classrooms on the ground floor. Haruhi closed the door after us and sat on one of the desks, crossing one leg over the other. "How long do you think they're gonna take?"

I went over to the windows, peering through the blinds. "No idea. But the main entrance is on the other side of the school, so we won't know till they actually just come crashing through."

"Oh what? Can't we go to one of rooms closer to the front then?"

Yeah, I'd rather not risk it.

"Hey look, some of them are coming around the back!" Haruhi said, running over to the window.

I stopped making light and dragged Haruhi away from the window. Judging by the noises, they'd broke in through one of the fire exits. We could hear angry yells as they screamed for me to come out, and then their feet upon the ground as they ran through the corridors, searching for me.

…now that I think about it, what do we do if one of them run in here?

Haruhi laughed nervously. "I…didn't think about that?"

Oh for-

I ran to the door- just in time too, as it opened. I grabbed the guy by his collar, pulling him in and kicking the door shut. I forced him against the wall, my free hand crackling with electricity-

I froze as the electricity lit up his face. "Taniguchi?"

Sure enough, I was staring at the familiar features of my classmate. I pulled the balaclava off and let it fall to the ground. "Taniguchi, it's-"

Then I realised his face didn't look so familiar. I'd never seen that look of pure hatred he was sending me.

"Everyone!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. "He's in here! The terrorist's in here!"

Almost instantly, I could hear them change course- I could tell they were getting closer, as though I was looking at blinking red dots approaching on radar.

"What the- what did you just do?" I shouted at him.

"Getting revenge." Taniguchi's look was practically spraying acid at me. "In here! He's over here!" He managed to free himself from my grip- and then I saw a gun appear in his hand.

What happened next was over too quickly.

Something splattered across my face as I watched Haruhi's foot impact with Taniguchi's face, almost in slow motion. Then it was back to normal speed, and Taniguchi tumbled back into the wall, out cold.

Haruhi dusted off her hands. "Jeez. Who was that guy?"

Why, that was Taniguchi, Haruhi. He was in our class. And in our baseball team that one time. And in our movie. And in your middle school. Oh, and you once went out with him.

"Really? Not ringing any bells here," said Haruhi. "Hey, what's that on your face?"

My hand came away from my face with a dark thick liquid over my fingers. "What is it, oil?" I asked, while Haruhi examined the "gun" Taniguchi had dropped.

"Huh, it's just a water gun. Except with that stuff inside. What was he trying to do with this?" She threw it aside as she came closer to my face. "Well, it looks more like tar than oil."

I wiped most of it off with some papers on the teacher's desk, thankful none of it had got in my eyes.

"Are you done? Come on, we have to get out of here before the others show up-wait, I know!"

As though one hit KOing Taniguchi wasn't enough to prove her strength, Haruhi picked up a chair in one hand and flung it through the windows. I could've just used a shockwave or something, but sure, that'll work.

Haruhi hopped out of the window, landing on the ground outside. I jumped after her and as we started to move, we could still see torches burning and figures standing in the distance in all directions, spreading out over the grounds.

"What do we do?" Haruhi asked me.

What do we do? They must've completely surrounded the school by now. I can't think of any way out of this that lets us slip past them. This is going to end in fighting, and my problem is whether Haruhi will be kept unscathed-

"You know what?" I said. "Let's split up."

"What? Why?" Haruhi demanded.

Well, they're looking for me. And you'll easily slip past their notice if you're not with me.

"Then what about you? You better not be making me miss the action again!"

"Don't be silly," I said, trying to smile. "I just remembered I…developed this power that lets me glide. If I get up to the roof, I'll have enough height to glide out of the school grounds completely."

"And you just remembered this?" She asked, sceptical.

"Well, no. I just didn't want to leave you behind, because I can't bring someone along when I do it."

Haruhi laughed. "Kyon, this is exactly why you're the lowest ranked member of the Brigade! You don't think! I don't need help to get past these idiots! Alright, let's split up!"

I watched her run off around the side of the school. Once she'd disappeared into the darkness, I headed to the main entrance, where the majority of the mob still had to be gathered.

Every step I took was heavy. I wanted to just run for it, but I knew I had to distract them in order to draw attention away from Haruhi. If Taniguchi had been amongst them, it stood to reason that at least some people amongst the mob knew that Haruhi was my…

Friend? Comrade? Slaver? Well, one of those.

I could take bullets. But Haruhi, despite her subconscious ability to alter reality- would she really get the chance to wish it all away in the second it would take to pull a trigger? There was no way I could risk it.

I shook with dizziness all of a sudden. Wait, the tar-?

"I can feel you, Kyon," A woman's voice echoed in my head. For a moment, I saw myself surrounded by Karite thugs, all distorted and stretched

What the- what the hell's going on?

"I've been waiting for you-"

Who are you?

"-_longing_ for you," her coquettish voice sang into my mind, and for a moment, I felt the presence of the woman behind me, soft hands stretching for my face-

My head's killing me, the tar hissing on my skin. I tried to wipe it off, and as I did so, I could feel the voice break up like a phone call with crappy reception.

"You can't escape me, Kyon."

That was the last I heard from her before it ended, leaving me only with questions. Who was the woman? What did she have to do with the Karite? How had the tar opened my mind to her? And what did she have to do with Taniguchi if he was the one who sprayed me with the tar?

But then I realised I still had a job to do. I ran, past the outside of the school cafeteria, by the sports ground, by the side of the school where the boilers were and where all the electrics were switched on-

It was only then, when the main gate was just coming into view when I heard gunfire on the other side of the school grounds.

* * *

The amount of relief I felt when I saw she was still alive was tremendous.

The amount of rage I felt when I saw her thrown to the ground, a man pointing a gun at her made that relief feel negligible.

My body is lit up with the amount of electricity I'm channelling. I'd made a short stop at the room where the school's electrics were controlled which as it turned out, was part of my shortcut to get here. I charged myself till my hands were burnt.

Many of them had covered their faces, but even with the collection of masks, scarves and balaclavas, I could see it all. Every emotion and feeling was laid out on their sleeves for me to observe. Stray thoughts raced across the air, and I could understand the electric impulses running across their nerves, and the amount I'd overcharged myself by could let me read them plain and simple when I'd have needed physical contact before, like with the late Akemi.

Few have guns. But even if each had a machine gun, that wouldn't stop me advancing on them.

I don't know what I'm doing anymore. It's like I- I can't control it. All I can feel is this intensifying rage, building with every step, the smudged tar on my face burning, and- fear?

No. It's not my fear. It's theirs.

And then I heard the voice of the woman in my head again. "Go on Kyon! Tear them apart! Make them suffer for threatening you!"

A gun goes off, but it's like I hear it underwater, from a mile away. I felt something hit my forehead, but I've come over numb- I don't feel pain at all. I press my hand to where the bullet hit me, while it still crackles with electricity.

It hasn't penetrated the bone and entered my brain.

I dig the bullet out of my skull with my fingernails, and the wound closes behind it. The currents going through my fingers make it just about impossible to even see the bloody round-

"They deserve no mercy! Show them your- our power, my love!"

I heard the woman's voice in my head.

And I obeyed.

The electricity in my hands changed from blue to red, and from there, I sank into a dark haze.

* * *

AN: Would you believe this chapter had been roughly eighty or ninety per cent ready for ages, I just hadn't been able to come up with an ending? Sorry. Well, I decided to just pretty much cut as the end was just beginning, because I didn't want to focus too much on fights with ordinary people after we saw Kyon up against the Anti SOS-Brigade earlier.

Kyouko's powers, while mostly from what we've seen of espers (red glowy stuff, fireballs), are inspired somewhat by Psychonauts. The PsiBlast is where the beam comes from; the bit where she causes a "giant invisible hand" to slam down on Kyon is from Razz's usual physical attacks that are augmented by his psychic powers.

I have to say, one of the good things about writing TMOHS fanfiction is that all the characters are just fun to write about, and all of them try to steal screen-time when I write. Still, I need to include more Mikuru, she's been fairly non-existent so far.

Any people wondering when my other fics are gonna be updated, well, Newfound Memories looks like it'll be updated first. I've just been really busy with uni lately. I worked on this a bit harder lately because of all the news about inFamous 2; it's got its release date and we're gonna be able to create our own missions à la LBP.

Well, there's probably more shit I've forgotten to mention. As ever, any questions about the fic which won't result in me having to give spoiler answer, ask in a review or PM.

Oh, and by the way, I've been looking for someone to bounce ideas off. Not exactly co-writing or beta-ing, it's just that I've got a few too many ideas for the fic and need someone to…well, judge them, I suppose. If you're really keen on the story- yeah, don't ask; you'll just end up getting way too many spoilers and potentially ruining the fic for yourself. Obviously, I need someone who knows a bit about TMOHS and inFamous, and happens to be a competent writer, or at the very least, can come up with decent ideas.


	4. Light Bulb Kid

AN: Not much to say. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter IV- Light Bulb Kid

_Laughter fills the air. _

_I see the faces of people as soundless screams escape their gaping maws; I see their bodies spasm as red electricity takes away their ability to control their muscles; I see the muzzle flares of the firing guns and the flaming torches in their hands, but I cannot feel._

_I am nothing more than a silent watcher in a body that I cannot call mine._

_Then I feel it. A horrid, burning agony stretching across my face, piercing my bones and digging into my brain. The tar-_

_It was then when I realised that I am the one laughing._

* * *

When I came to, the sun had risen. My limbs felt too heavy to lift, but I could tilt my head around, even if just a little. I'm lying on a sofa- on the roof? It's hard to tell, my vision's all blurred.

I managed to shift the blanket strewn over me and looked down at myself. Are those bandages-?

Then the memories of last night brought me back to earth.

I found myself short for breath, gasping for air, hyperventilating as I realised what I'd done. The people I killed- this was worse than setting off the Ray Sphere. Because I-

"Kyon has awakened," Nagato's flat voice broke me out of it as three shadowy figures approached me. I squinted, all I could see was shadows and strange blurring lights as though I'd been looking at a light bulb for too long.

"Try this," Koizumi's voice sounded, and then I began to feel an approaching source of electricity. I managed to lift a hand and drain it.

My vision began to return, the pain began to subside, my body restored. I realise I'm draining one of the backup batteries we keep up here, and quickly enough, it's empty, but I'm full of life.

I sit up on the sofa, as the three of them surround me. For a moment, I find myself flashing back to having the Anti-SOS Brigade surround me, and I feel Kyouko's telekinetic palm smash my head against the kerb-

"Don't blame yourself, Kyon," Asahina started weakly, as she exchanged glances with the others.

"I analysed the tar," Nagato stated. "It exhibited effects that of a hallucinogenic and a mind control agent. You were not in control of your actions last night."

Really? That's what happened to me?

But it felt much more than that. It felt like I just gave into the darkness inside me. The bits of yourself you close off to the world. The rage, the frustrations, the fears, my own selfishness-

I lifted my hand, and brought forth a current. Back to its usual blue colour. Am I really innocent, then? It feels like I'm a criminal who's escaped their sentence through a legal loophole.

"Where's Haruhi?"

Did I scare her? No, she's Haruhi, nothing scares h- did I hurt her?

"She went downstairs, I think," said Koizumi. "She was beside you most of the time you were asleep. Quite worried about you, I'd say, but she'd never admit it."

"I'll get you something light to eat, Kyon," Asahina said.

Asahina's angelic concerned look for once doesn't distract me from my thoughts, and she bustled away, while Koizumi walked over to another sofa, picking up a magazine to occupy himself with.

Nagato stands with me as I climbed off the sofa. There was a foul taste in my mouth and I tried to keep looking away from her, not wanting to accidently expose her to my morning breath.

"It was nearly too late for you last night. You came closer to death than you ever had before; closer than at the blast, closer than at the hands of Asakura. I was…concerned."

"I wouldn't have expected otherwise, Nagato," I replied.

"You still blame yourself."

You know, it's annoying enough when Koizumi guesses what's on my mind.

"I apologise. But you should try not to broadcast your feelings so clearly."

…where exactly are you going with this?

"You cannot be faulted for the results of last night if your mind was controlled," Nagato said. "It is both illogical and dangerous to continue to pile blame upon your shoulders."

As much as I appreciated Nagato and what she was trying to do, it didn't help.

"I can't help it, Nagato. I still killed innocent-"

"Some were under influence from the tar, and could be considered innocent. Many truly wished to kill you and nearly killed Haruhi."

"But I could've-" I trailed off, not sure where I was going with this. All the little factors that had resulted in what had happened, what would I have done differently? Saved Haruhi and run off? Not split up? Avoided being hit by the tar? Never gone to the school building in the first place?

"Kyon. This town has already blamed you for the activation of the Ray Sphere that killed so many. If you blame yourself as well for every mistake you make, what will happen to you then?"

And then I remember. Despite this, all of this, this isn't going to stop the various organisations that are ordering me to retrieve the Ray Sphere for them. Neither will it stop the threats they're sending me.

I've killed Karite thugs. I chose to kill them.

And there are the innocents who have died as a result of my actions.

But as Nagato says, I can't bury myself in guilt. I don't want to kill, but I'm practically in a warzone with powers that electrocute people. People are going to die.

I'm not a superhero. But that doesn't mean I can't try and save lives as well.

"Thanks, Nagato. I needed that."

* * *

An hour later, after I'd gotten the usual morning rituals out of the way (brushing the teeth, changing, breakfast, etc.) as well as taking off the bandages I didn't need, the phone rang. I'd already been expecting it.

I wasn't looking forward to this.

Haruhi perked up- she'd come up to the roof a while ago, and while she seemed as upbeat as ever, she seemed oddly distant, especially to me. She didn't even get remotely interested in my powers when I used them to charge up another battery.

"Who is it, Kyon?"

I answered it. "Hey Rin."

"Don't "hey" me, what the hell did you do last night?" I probably shouldn't have put that on loudspeaker. "From what I've heard, at least twenty or thirty people dead! Well over fifty injured! How on earth does that qualify as "minimum civilian casualties"?"

"You don't understand-"

"I don't understand? No, you don't understand! Do you know what'll happen to you and your town if I'm not believed to be in control of this situation? Soldiers start coming in! Bombings start taking place!"

Well, I'd hope they wouldn't start bombings after they've sent their soldiers in.

"Are you seriously trying to joke with me now? You listen to me. You are going to follow my orders exactly from now on. If you ever cross me again, I will throw you into a hole so deep that you won't know up from down-"

And then the phone was snatched from my hand. I turned to see Haruhi, sporting a look similar to the one I expected Rin had on her face.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Haruhi shouted down the receiver.

She switched off the loudspeaker as she walked away, leaving us to watch as Haruhi got in a shouting match with a PSIA agent.

Huh. Well, I think we all knew, deep down, that Haruhi would get arrested at some point.

"How dare you threaten Kyon! That's my job! ...Yes, he's mine! I mean, my subordinate! …He'd been hit with a mind controlling substance you idiot! …Of course he will, he's got superpowers! … Yes!…Really?..." Haruhi suddenly broke out into giggles and sent a quick glance at me.

Okay, I'm guessing the shouting match is over. Haruhi was just chatting rather animatedly with Rin. What they're talking about, no idea.

"…yeah, yeah, sure! We can do that. Of course! My SOS-Brigade are ready for anything! Okay! Laters, Agent Rin! Haruhi Suzumiya reporting out!"

What the hell just happened?

"Kyon! Get suited up! We've got a job to do!"

What? Suit? Job?

The rest of the Brigade (barring the blank faced Nagato) looked just as confused as I was.

"She had a mission for us!" Haruhi's grin stretched from ear to ear. "Something for all of us!"

What? What? Now, I can't see into Rin's head, but surely making me work with Haruhi would be something rather detrimental to the whole effort, due to the risk of maybe- but then again, I haven't exactly been trained for this either.

"Kyon, you're coming with me!"

…don't we have to draw straws first?

"We have to investigate this tar! The Karites are pumping it into the water supply and Rin wants us to start by checking out a fountain downtown. Yuki!"

Nagato looked up.

"I want you to offer phone support due to your knowledge on- hang on, how did you know that the tar could control people's minds?"

Nagato didn't miss a beat. "It sounded like something I read about in a story."

For a moment, there was dead silence on the roof. My eyes travelled to the faces of the others, and like me, they wore an expression of "What".

I mean come on Nagato, Haruhi can't know about your powers- but that's your cover?

"Weren't you using manga and comics to demonstrate your point about mysterious allies and villains approaching?" Nagato asked. "I felt this fitted into the same scenario."

"Good point, that makes sense," said Haruhi, turning away. "Okay, so Nagato will remain here and offer advice. Mikuru!"

Mikuru jumped to attention like a shaky army cadet in front of their drill instructor. "Yes?"

"Since we're all going to focusing on small missions, you will have to focus on the main goal of obtaining the Ray Sphere! Go out and find us clues, Mikuru!"

I sighed. Haruhi, how's Mikuru going to just "go out and find it"? Besides, looking around for it will just place her in danger-

"I'll do it," said Mikuru.

What?

"Kyon, don't worry. I'll be fine."

How can I say no to that little smile?

Haruhi twitched for some reason and turned to Koizumi. "Koizumi, I need you, as the Vice-President of the SOS Brigade to do me a real favour. Agent Rin has been tracking strange signals coming from satellites in the town. She wanted Kyon to check them out but he'll be coming with me. So I leave it to you. You'll have to find them and download the signals onto your phone."

"Of course, Miss Suzumiya." Koizumi's smile is bigger than usual. Maybe it's because he'll get a chance to fly around while looking for these satellites.

Haruhi grinned back. "Excellent. Come on, Kyon!"

I nodded as I walked over to the edge of the roof- only to feel Haruhi pull the back of my shirt.

"Juuuust one moment." I felt her grin on the back of my head as she-

-hey, what? What are you-?

Haruhi climbed onto my shoulders, forcing me to support her legs so I was carrying her piggyback. "Jump!"

Are you out of your mind? Get off me!

"Hey, watch it," she said, swatting my head. "Just jump already."

What happens if I slip or stumble and you fall off and break your neck?

"Now you're sounding like my parents," she said. "I'll hold on. Besides, you owe me."

For what?

Her hand reached down and pulled my nose. "Because you lied to me last night! You said you could glide. I should give you a penalty for lying to your Chief, but fortunately for you, I am merciful! Now jump!"

"I'll take the penalty."

Haruhi sighed and leaned down towards me, whispering. "You know, I took photos of Mikuru when I made her dress up in superhero costumes."

Look-

"Ever heard of Catwoman or Starfire-?"

Haru-

"-or _Wonder Woman_?"

I jumped.

I mean, did I say jumped? I meant tripped. Yes. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Haruhi screamed with glee as the ground rushed towards us. As for me, I couldn't enjoy it as much as I could as I had to focus a bit more on preparing for my landing.

I landed with bent knees, the pavement cracking from the impact. I lurched forwards, nearly throwing Haruhi off, but she managed to cling on.

Haruhi hopped off my shoulders. "That was so fun! We should do that every time from now on! In fact, how about we go back up right now and go for one more round before we-"

I stared at her.

"Fine. You never let me have my way, do you?"

What? What! You always get your way!

"I'll agree that's true if we do go again."

Can we just go?

* * *

"Kyon, have you reached the fountain?" Rin's voice sounds over the speaker.

Haruhi and I had cut through a couple of alleys to make it here while trying to avoid most people, but it didn't seem like that many people recognised me, or even cared, instead too busy with trying to focus on survival.

"Yeah, it's not looking good Rin," I replied. "The water's turned black and there are sick people all over the place. How did this stuff get in the water supply anyway? Haruhi said you were saying something about the Karites."

"They've been pumping that tar into water supplies all over the area they control," said Rin. "As you've experienced, it's not ordinary tar. It's the cause of the plague that's been breaking out, and too much exposure seems to…change people."

I've heard rumours- mainly from Haruhi babbling about stuff the Voice of Survival mentioned, talking about things like plague zombies but that seemed to be nonsense.

But then I thought back to what I saw under the mask of the Karite thug in the building before I fought Fujiwara. Now that I think about it, it didn't make sense as to how many Karite thugs there suddenly were when they'd barely been a notable organisation before. Could it be? Were people transformed into the Karites?

I relayed my thoughts to Rin, but if anything, she seemed unsurprised by the idea.

"If that's the case, the need to stop them only becomes greater," she said. "There should be a series of pipes around with several valves. One ought to shut off from wherever the tar is entering the fountain- and any other water supplies near here."

"Alright."

People lay around the fountain in droves, their mouths wet with tar, clutching their sides in agony as it burned their insides, as it had burned my face last night. All of them forced to drink that polluted water to survive. I thought back to the person I healed before, could I-?

Well, I tried.

On my first patient, I nearly overdid it. He puked up a lot of tar, and passed out. Still, his pulse, which was irregular before, was starting to feel more stable.

The second person was a young woman. I did a better job with her; she managed to climb back up to her feet.

While Haruhi looked for the valve, I worked on reviving the numerous sick people. Maybe it was to seek some form of atonement after what I did, or maybe I was actually trying to be a hero, I don't know.

But just as I finished on the last person, Haruhi called me over. "Kyon! Found it!"

I came over to her, and really, she wasn't that far from the fountain at all. The valves were mostly concealed by some bushes and shrubbery, but they hadn't grown over them and it couldn't have taken her all that time to find. Unless-

No… Haruhi didn't find it earlier and just waited till I finished healing everyone, did she? Huh. Miss Suzumiya, are you chipping away at your heart of stone to reveal gold?

"What are you grinning at?"

"Nothing."

"Hm. Well, stop looking like an idiot and shut this valve."

The valve had nearly rusted to the point it was impossible to turn, but no match for enhanced strength. Mind you, I think Haruhi could still probably have a decent chance of doing this herself.

With a great effort, I turned it, only for one pipe to suddenly give me a blast of tar in the face.

My eyes shut by reflex as I fell back. Great, time to go insane again- well, luckily, Haruhi had quickly realised that letting the tar get to me again would be a bad idea.

She tore one of the sleeves off my shirt, and started wiping the tar off my face.

"Ew, it's all over your eyes. Can you open them?"

"No-"

Haruhi helped me to my feet. "We need to wash it off somehow. The fountain's still full of tar but- hey, there are a couple of stores nearby; maybe the looters haven't got all the bottled water yet. Come on."

She took my hand and led me. Through my barely opened eyes, the world would tint red every so often, and I'd see- Karite thugs, gigantic ones. As we walked, we'd walk through them and I'd realise they weren't there, but-

"I've been watching you, Kyon." The woman's voice was back. "Waiting for this moment, _anticipating_ it."

Damnit, who the hell are you?

"She hates you. Loathes you. Your powers frighten her now. She'll never love you. I can make you forget her. Everything you shared. Gone, like a whisper. No more pain."

You know what? Given my experience with women, it wouldn't surprise me if this was all down to the hallucinogenic as well. This isn't real.

"You are _mine_," her voice said, louder than ever in my head. "And you're all alone, Kyon. No one cares about you. Not the girl. Not the alien. Not the time traveller. Not the esper. Only I love you. I've always loved you. Always and forever-"

For God's sake, get out-

And then I awoke from my hallucinations as water splashed over my face.

"I knew we'd find some!" Haruhi waved a half-empty bottle of water in front of me. We were outside some small store with the front windows smashed. The visions were strong, I hadn't even noticed when Haruhi let go of my hand or when I even stopped moving.

My phone rang again, and Haruhi grabbed it from my shirt pocket as I recovered from the effects of the tar. "Hello?" She said, putting it on loudspeaker.

"Have you shut off the valve by the fountain?" Rin asked, in her usual to-the-point way.

"Yep," Haruhi said. "What else should we do?"

"There's another valve somewhere in the nearby park. Shut that off as well. Once you've done that, I'll call again with further instructions. I think I have a lead on where the tar is coming from."

I looked around as Haruhi gave me my phone back. It looked like Haruhi's search for that bottle of water had brought us just outside the park.

Oddly convenient.

We entered the park, walking side-by-side, both of us looking off our side of the path to try and find the pipes.

"You know," Haruhi said, after a few moments of searching. "I've been thinking, what's making this tar? The Karites were just dumb Yakuza wannabes, what gave them mind control tar?"

No idea.

Although mind you, Fujiwara was working with them for a short while, so he's suspect. Although I doubt his conduit abilities include something like this.

That's it. Somewhere, there's got to be a conduit at the end of this, and that's the person creating this tar- or is it? Nagato seemed to figure out what it was with no problems, was it related to the Data Integration Thought Entity or the Sky Canopy Dominion?

I find myself hoping for the conduit. Sure, I didn't actually fight Kuyou yesterday, but Fujiwara was my equal after developing powers at the same time as me, and Kyouko utterly annihilated me.

Plus, I remembered what Nagato and Asakura's fight was like. Sure, Nagato said something to me about how my data was harder to change, but there's no way in hell I could possibly take on a fully-fledged interface.

Now that I thought about it, what happened to the interfaces as a result of the blast? The espers got stronger, the time travellers were rendered unable to travel through time due to…chaos or something, and as for the interfaces?

"Kyon, are you spacing out again? Did I miss some of the tar?"

"What? No, its fine," I said, before looking away to try and find the valve.

"Let me check-" Haruhi grabbed me, turning my head around so she could look at my face. There was a bit of water still left on my face, and she touched it, only to recoil as it suddenly caused a small spark.

"Sorry."

"It's okay," she said. There was something strange in her eyes as she continued peering at my face, a sort of distant look. "You know, we didn't talk about what happened last night, did we?"

No. No, please don't bring it up, I-

I didn't say anything, but she guessed my thoughts as I froze. "I'm not going to talk about them. I wanted to ask you- why did you split us up?"

What?

"You couldn't have gone inside the school," said Haruhi, "because you made up that glide thing. You were heading to the front of the school where we thought most of them were. Were you trying to use yourself as bait to distract them from me?"

"I, uh-"

"Well?" She asked, tilting her head, still not breaking eye contact.

"Erm, look, the valve's there!" I said, pointing over her shoulder.

She span around, and true enough, just off the path there were a set of pipes. As I approached, and I saw the setup of the pipes and valves was just like the other one. And then I remembered what also happened last time.

I saw a few people walking by. I could force one of them to shut off the valve, and avoid the blast of tar, but they might not be able to-

"I know!" Haruhi picked a stick of the ground and jammed it into the pipe that would release the tar. "There!"

I'm not sure why I didn't think of that before.

I turned the valve while Haruhi kept the stick wedged in the pipe, and although a small amount of tar oozed out, it was kept away from me.

With the valves done, I picked up my phone, calling Rin. "Kyon. I know where the Karites are pumping the tar. They have a tanker in the underground tunnel that passes under the park. Get down there and destroy it."

"Alright."

"Unlike these valves, the tanker will be guarded. Be ready for anything."

I ended the call, only to see Haruhi standing there, her expression unreadable, her arms folded.

"You want me to stay behind again, huh?" She said; her voice flat.

"It's safer that way," I said shortly. "It hurts to be shot."

Haruhi scowled, but then in an instant she was grinning. "Fine. I'll let you go off this once on your own if you let me make you a costume."

…what? What kind of costume?

"It's a secret! Do we have a deal?"

Yeah, even if I don't agree, she'll go ahead and make it anyway. At least this way I can get her to stay behind without having to get in a fight about it.

"Fine."

"Great! I'll wait for you back at school! Don't take too long!"

"I'll try not to."

"And Kyon? Some time soon, I want an answer. Next time there won't be a convenient set of pipes for you to try and change the subject." She grinned at me before rushed off, humming the classic Spider-Man theme under her breath. Mere moments after she disappeared, my phone rang again.

"Where's Haruhi going?" Koizumi asked.

I turned around, wondering where the hell Koizumi was to be seeing this. God, is he stalking me?

"I finished my task quite some time ago. So, what's causing Haruhi to run off?"

Well simply put, Koizumi, I need to go beat up some Karite thugs in the tunnel that runs under the park and then blow up a tanker. Obviously I can't bring her with me.

"Oh, so you convinced her to stay behind?" Koizumi said. "I'm impressed. Tell you what, I'll join you. Might be fun. I'll wait for you at the tunnel's entrance."

I switched my phone off as I headed out of the park.

You see, the park itself was quite large. The centre was built on raised ground, and under it was a road that – I think- led to a car park at the end, I'd never actually been down there before; it used to be the turf of the Karites even before the blast and my parents had warned me and my sister away from the area.

The vague thoughts of my family were enough to distract me again.

Had my dad recovered from his injuries yet? Did my mother even know about what had happened to me, or if I was alive? After all, I was still in a hospital bed when she left the town with my sister.

I made a mental note to go check out my house again today or tomorrow as I came out of the park and began to follow the pavement till it led me to the tunnel entrance.

And when I got there, Koizumi was sitting on a dismantled machine gun, reading an old newspaper with the burned bodies of numerous Karites surrounding him. A few of them were still stirring weakly.

"What took you so long?" He asked, looking up as he threw the paper aside. It ignited once it touched the ground.

You're enjoying being able to use your powers outside Closed Space, aren't you?

Koizumi shrugged. "Well, I'm not the only one."

We climbed over the barriers that were currently blocking car access to the tunnel. The tunnel was spacious enough and well lit with electric lights and burning fires, while the graffiti on the walls clearly warned people away.

"Ready?" Koizumi asked, smiling.

"As I'll ever be."

We had barely got that far in where we saw a van on its side, lying across the road in the middle of the tunnel. I felt it, as I had last night, a sense that enemies lurked behind it, again feeling as though I was looking upon radar.

Koizumi seemed to have noticed it as well, but no surprises there; he did use psychic powers after all.

We exchanged glances, and he smiled. "Step back, Kyon."

The van lifted itself into the air, revealing several startled Karites. Koizumi snapped his fingers, hurling the van down on them.

Seeing Koizumi like this- killing thugs with that same smile on his face- is oddly surreal.

"Aren't you coming?" He asked, and I realised I was still standing here while he walked ahead.

We advanced.

More and more vehicles were strewn across the underground road, clearly acting as barricades. We rounded a fallen bus, to see a mounted machine gun with a Karite at its helm, several other gunmen surrounding it.

"What do you think?" Koizumi asked, in the dead silence that followed, the calm before the storm.

"What are you talking about?"

"How long do you think it'll take for us to deal with these obstacles? Ten seconds? Twenty?"

Koizumi jumped forwards, his hand outstretched.

He tears the machine gun apart with his mind and as they began retaliating I give him cover with lightning bolts.

I'd hit two before Koizumi finished and moved on to incinerating them, while repelling bullets by simply snapping his fingers. Occasionally he'd scoop up a vehicle with his mind and using it as a projectile.

He caught my eye and gave me a small smile.

…show-off.

Blowing apart the first wave with fire and lightning, we continued heading down the tunnel.

Last night's events were terrifying. It had actually led to me trying to hold back a little to avoid killing, firing weaker bolts, and using the same electric restraints that I'd used on Fujiwara to shackle them once I came to them.

And even so, a part of me had to admit, this was just awesome. Lightning bolts firing through the air, psychic beams and shields and flames, bullets flying everywhere and explosions-

I ran forwards, firing a shockwave at a wrecked car that blasted back onto the thugs who'd been hiding behind it for cover, as Koizumi flew overhead (or as high as he could fly in a tunnel) landing on a van before he picked up two thugs with invisible hands and bashed their heads together.

Another mounted machine gun fired at him, and he raised his hand, bringing up a red shield. He sent me a sideways glance, as if to say "Go on."

I launched a bolt. While it missed the gunner, it hit the gun, passing a strong enough current through it to make the Karite take his hands off, and no longer firing at Koizumi.

No longer giving him reason to maintain a shield.

The gun was dismantled before the thug's eyes- well, mask, I suppose. A bolt took him off his feet.

Koizumi hopped down from the bus, landing neatly and again we continued walking. It looked like we'd already dealt with the Karites. That went surprisingly well; I think I only got shot once or twice in that.

And then both of us felt it.

A horde of them approaching from behind, and more approaching from the front. We were pinned.

We didn't have much time to prepare. Maybe we could've tried using our powers to stack some cars on each side as cover, but they came too fast and the best we could do was stand back to back.

The Karite thugs lined up on either side. About ten on each side, each clad in their typical suits, masks, with not even one having the badge out of place. But rather more importantly, they were all were armed with assault rifles.

Okay. Forget that only getting shot once or twice thing.

They carefully raised their guns to their shoulders and moved so they wouldn't hit each other if the bullets missed us. And even as they stopped moving, for a few moments, there was nothing but perfect silence and stillness in this tunnel.

And then they opened fire.

Koizumi brings up his red sphere again, holding us both safe, but the amount of bullets are quickly eating away at the outer shell.

"What are you going to do? Fly us out?"

"Something better."

His eyes glowed red as he sank into a sort of half-crouch, hunched over. The ground started to tremble beneath our feet.

And then he unleashed a massive wave of psychic energy. It picked up cars and threw them like toys. It shook the tunnel itself. Even I- despite that I'm protected from the main force behind it- was thrown to the ground.

The Karites have no chance at all as they go flying through the air. Each went at least five metres- that is, unless there was something for them to crash into first.

Koizumi offered me a hand, and I took it.

"You are so broken, Koizumi."

"Broken? No, I'm just slightly overpowered. Nagato, now, she's broken."

I focused, trying to tap in to that radar-like sense I'd had. I find myself sending out a pulse of electricity, and while it makes sources of electricity light up- something that may be handy if I need healing- it doesn't find anymore Karites.

"You can handle it from here, I presume?" Koizumi looked a little winded.

"Are you okay?"

"That just took quite a lot out of me," he said. "I- just need to sit down for a moment."

Alright. I'll go and deal with the tanker.

I left Koizumi there as he sat on the kerb of the pavement on the side of the underground road, while I descended deeper into the tunnel. It levelled out quickly enough, and there before me, across the road, was placed the massive tanker.

It looked like a truck crossed over with a tank.

There were numerous pipes above my head, and the tanker was connected to them. Evidently, tar was being pumped through those up into the water supplies above.

Well, time to take care of it.

I hit the tanker with the strongest bolt I had.

It fizzled away on impact.

I fired again, repeatedly. While they started to last longer, sometimes spreading over the thick armour, they did nothing.

I tried to reach for it, tried to call forth that red electricity that had brought me so much power last night, but as my electricity remained unchanged as it continued to fail to do anything to the tanker.

I started trying to find corners, gaps, any weak spots, but none of it was any good.

Oh for- you have got to be kidding me. Nothing? You couldn't be- and then I heard gunfire back up the tunnel. Had more of them come? Had they found Koizumi? They were way too far away for me to sense.

Damn it. Just blow up, you stupid piece of junk! Explode already! Something spark! Something ignite!

And then again, I felt it. The surge. Something telling me that a new power had appeared within my body.

I let the power build up in my hands and I threw it, revealing it to be a ball of electricity. It bounced off the tanker, landing by it.

It exploded.

Now this is more like it, I thought to myself as I threw three more.

The tanker shook, as did the earth. Its armour damaged- and I re-intensified my efforts, and this time the bolts pierced through, electricity passing through it, rattling it like a cage, and then it punched a great hole through, tar leaking out.

I flung another ball of electricity, aiming for the weak spot.

Next thing I knew, a rather more energetic looking Koizumi was shaking me awake. I probably shouldn't have been standing so close to the tanker, or what's left of it anyway.

"How long was I out?"

"Oh, just a couple of minutes, I think," said Koizumi. "A few more Karites showed up, but I'd mostly recovered by then."

I climbed up to my feet, my head throbbing.

"Are you alright?"

"Feel so drained. I'll have to keep the electric grenade things to a minimum."

"The what?" Koizumi asked as I walked over to the wall, draining the lights that were built into them.

"Well, let's get out of here. Want me to fly you out?" He said, offering me his hand.

…I'm fine. Really.

* * *

Half an hour later, I leaned back on the sofa, cracking open the can of celebratory Coke after a job well done. Haruhi was rummaging through her costumes box, Nagato was sat in front of the TV watching whatever was on with no expression on her face, Asahina looked exhausted and was almost half-asleep (I had no idea what had happened to her and she wasn't telling).

Koizumi stood up, getting our attention.

He'd already explained that the satellite signals were dead drop messages. Left by John White, the man Rin was telling me to find. He took my phone, downloading the same encryption program onto it that Rin had given him in order to let me access the signals as well.

"The encryption program's finished running through the messages. We can hear them now."

Koizumi began to play the first. The message was in English- made sense if John was American, but surprising if he was reporting to the PSIA- but I could understand enough of it to at least make sense of it. And well, Nagato understood it perfectly and stated anything we'd missed.

_"I couldn't stop Smythe from detonating the Ray Sphere. Damn thing took out five or six square blocks, killed God knows how many. I found the Ray Sphere in the blast crater, next to some kid. I dunno if he was dead or not, I didn't have time to check. I'm going to try and hold up somewhere."_

"_If anyone is listening to these things, I need immediate extraction. Please. You have to get me out of here before Smythe finds me!"_

"Who's Smythe?" I asked, asking the question that no doubt all of us were thinking.

"There was another recording, a much older one," Koizumi said. "That might give us some answers"

_"Was introduced to Smythe today. He has some kind of metal device attached to his right arm, and his face was scarred, probably the result of an accident. One of the other guards said that Smythe has been the leader of the First Sons for decades, but that he vanishes for long periods of time."_

_"Initial impression is that Smythe is a true believer. He has an agenda, and he's going to carry it out. We may have to move against him sooner than we initially planned." _

"The first one said John has the Ray Sphere," I said. "We find him, we find the Sphere."

"If Smythe is the one who leads the First Sons, he's going to be after it as well," said Koizumi.

"Well then, we'll just find John and deal with Smythe!" Haruhi said brightly, before frowning. "John and Smythe?"

And in that instant I noticed. "Huh, yeah, funny name, Smythe. Anyway, moving on-"

"Doesn't it sound a bit like Smith?"

"No, not in the slightest," I said quickly, as Mikuru and Koizumi shook their heads frantically.

Haruhi didn't look convinced, and rightly so, but she decided to let it go, going back to the costumes.

"How would you like a cape?"

"No."

"A trench coat?"

"No."

"A mask?"

"No."

"A hat?"

"No."

"You're not very good at this superhero thing, are you?" Haruhi finally snapped.

I was about to give a retort that would no doubt land me in hot water with her when we were both cut off by a familiar irritating voice blaring from the TV.

The same man who had the whole town gunning for me. The same man who'd told everyone where I was sleeping last night. Our good friend, the Voice of Survival. "I've been hearing all kinds of things lately and I'm gonna have to set you guys straight. It turns out that the terrorist somehow got powers from the blast. This is not a joke. He uses electricity. As if it wasn't bad enough, light bulb kid can fry anyone he damn well pleases. Last night he slaughtered about a hundred concerned citizens who were peacefully protesting, well, I'd like to see how his electricity helps him escape a shotgun blast to the face- and that's my personal recommendation-"

The TV exploded.

Probably due to the surge of electricity I let escape. But you know, I could be wrong.

I found myself still glaring at its remains, electricity still clinging to my shoulders and arms, flickering red every so often.

Haruhi placed her hand on my shoulder, not caring about the electricity.

I stopped the current immediately, looking up at her to see an expression completely different from the look of irritation she'd worn a moment ago. And then I realised the others had come by my side as well.

And while there's something soothing about it, it's not enough. It seems whatever I do in this town, regardless of whether I help or destroy, I get more enemies for it. So far, there's the general population. There's the Karites. There's the First Sons. And depending on what happens in the future, I could be adding the government, the espers, the time travellers, or the aliens to that list.

The -maybe foolish- optimism in me has clung to the belief that I'd get out of here and see my family again and that had managed to let me quash the feelings that were rising up so prominently now.

Now? I just saw a man suggest a method of killing me on live television.

And as much as I try to fight off that ever-growing depression, the same three words echo in my head as I lean forwards with my head sinking into my hands.

This is hopeless.

* * *

AN:

This chapter annoyed me a little while writing it. The amount of editing I did to it after I uploaded it... and even though it was all just nitpicking. This is probably my least favourite of the chapters so far, although that might have been down to the amount of stuff I just mixed in here, there's the whole bit of angst in the beginning, the bit with Nagato showing her compassion in her...way, then humour, then seriousness and a bit of angst, then freakiness, then a tiny bit of shipping, then action, then a sort of back-at-home bit with a bit more angst.

Next chapter will see a bit of Tsuruya...probably. As for the others, I'm still trying to stop Koizumi hogging Nagato's and Mikuru's screentime, that damn smiling bastard.

Hm...

OMAKE:

"I can't help that I'm such a great character!" Koizumi shouted as he was lowered ever closer to the vat of acid.

"You will pay for taking my screentime," Nagato stated. "That fight scene would have been approximately 12.8 times more impressive if I had been partnered up with Kyon for it."

"Kyon won't stand for this!"

"Haruhi has already provided him with a suitable distraction," said Nagato.

"What could possibly-"

"She gave him the photos of Mikuru dressed as Wonder Woman."

"Fuck."


End file.
